Spray Coating Preparation of Continuous and Patterned Ordered Mesoporous Oxide Thin Films on Flat and Curved Substrates

A simple and reliable method to prepare TiO ₂ , SiO ₂ , and ZrO ₂ ordered mesoporous films by sol gel chemistry combined with evaporation‐induced self assembly of amphiphilic molecules, over a wide variety of substrates (silicon wafers, glass, aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium) and without the need of heating during deposition is presented. The resulting films are less uniform than those obtained by other deposition techniques, but exhibit comparable thicknesses, high transmittance in the visible region, and accessible porosity to both water and small molecules, similar to those achieved with traditional methods. In addition, the possibility of obtaining equivalent oxides over curved glass is demonstrated. Moreover, the preparation of patterned structures, either of single or multiple oxides, with high control at the millimeter scale is shown. In this case, the distinctive physicochemical properties of each oxide can be conserved and spatially localized over a single substrate. In summary, this article paves the way toward the reliable production of ordered mesoporous oxides by spray coating, on a wide variety of flat and curved substrates and either as continuous or patterned thin films. Therefore, numerous applications for the materials obtained by this simple route are envisioned.