Macroporous Materials Synthesized by Colloidal Crystal Templating

Colloidal crystal templating is a versatile approach to synthesize nanostructured porous materials with a wide variety of compositions. The resulting three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) or mesoporous (3DOm) materials exhibit periodic pore structure with pore diameters that can be tuned via the template from a few nanometers to hundreds of micrometers. This architecture endows the materials with unique properties that can benefit a variety of applications, including optical, catalytic, electrochemical, and tissue engineering applications. This chapter describes synthesis-structure-property relationships of porous materials prepared by colloidal crystal templating and provides specific examples from the literature. Emphasis is placed on understanding the structural features of these materials, how to obtain these structural features from a synthetic point of view, and how the unique structures benefit specific applications. Most of the discussions are focused on 3DOM materials, but also apply to similar mesoporous or hierarchically structured materials prepared by colloidal crystal templating. The chapter ends with our perspectives on the field.