Highly Ordered Honeycomb Film Formation of Linear Polymers by the Breath Figure Technique

Abstract

Highly ordered, porous honeycomb (HC) films were prepared by the breath figure technique from linear polymers poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS). Typically HC films are difficult to form from such simple linear polymers. The addition of a novel fluorinated polymer (FP) additive with as little as 1 wt-% to PMMA or 5 wt-% to PS was required to obtain regular porous HC films. Through investigation of the influence of the additive on the polymer properties, three parameters based on interfacial tension, polymer solution viscosity, and polymer solidification rate were identified as key factors affecting the ability of polymer systems to form regular porous HC films. A new hypothesis was subsequently developed based on the relationships of these parameters to explain the unusual behaviour associated with HC film formation from linear PMMA and PS with addition of FP additive. This work will provide a new tool to guide the formation of HC films and will greatly broaden the range of polymers used to form HC films in the future.