Ordered Arrays of Mesoporous Microrods from Recyclable Macroporous Silicon Templates

Ordered arrays of freestanding mesoporous microrods (see figure) are obtained from macroporous silicon templates with hydrophobized pore walls. The microrods can be removed from the template by simple mechanical lift-off. Since no wet-chemical etching step is involved, condensation of the rods is avoided and the template can be recycled. The hierarchical structures combine features on the nano- and microscale and have a well-controlled geometry.