Synthesis of 3D ordered porous polystyrene using silica template

A rigid colloidal silica template was formed by self-assembly of the monodispersed silica spheres prepared according to Stober method. The silica template is highly ordered, which was verified by bright color effect due to Bragg diffraction and the results of SEM. The free radical polymerization of styrene was allowed within the interstices of the rigid template to result in the formation of the three-dimensional periodic silica/polystyrene nano-composites. The titled porous polystyrene was prepared by chemical decomposition of the template with concentrated aqueous hydrofluoric acid. Scanning electron microscopy characterization showed that the macroporous polystyrene has ordered arrays of the uniform pores replicated from the template. Moreover, it was found that the morphology of the as-synthesized macroporous polystyrene was greatly affected by the connectivity of the silica spheres treated under different conditions.