Inverse Opals: Interconversion of Inverse Opals of Electrically Conducting Doped Titanium Oxides and Nitrides (Small 18/2012)

Functionalized polystyrene beads are used to template inverse opals of insulating amorphous oxide (Ti0.7W0.3O2.3). The amorphous material is converted to conducting, crystalline, phase pure rutile oxide (Ti0.7W0.3O2). This rutile product is then converted to highly conducting, crystalline, phasepure cubic nitride (Ti0.7W0.3N). Further, the nitride can be fully oxidized back to the amorphous oxide product (Ti0.7W0.3O2.3). During all these changes in crystal structure and composition, the ordered porous inverse opal morphology is retained.