Skip to main content
Log in

Electric breath figure: mechanism and application

  • Review Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Electric breath figures, EBF, is a novel method for producing ordered porous structure. This work reviewed the EBF process from its design, mechanism, to application. In general, the EBF is developed from the conventional BF by using the electrostatic generator to assist the BF process. Comparing to the normal BF process request of controlling a lot of factors, the EBF showed advances in only using the voltage variety to control the process for fabrication of micro- and nanostructured porous materials. With the help of the electricity, the EBF process was performed under low surface tension condition that leads the moist air blown over a solution stabilized and the formed water droplets array on the liquid surface with opposite charges. In this work, the normal EBF process and two furthermore developed surfactant and nanomaterial-assisted EBF processes were reviewed in relation to the mechanisms and application.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rayleigh L (1892) Experiments upon surface films. Scientific American, June 11, 1

  2. Croft WB (1893) Dust photographs and breath figures. Nature 47:364

    Google Scholar 

  3. Latter OH (1898) Breath-figure of spider’s web. Nature 59:55

    Google Scholar 

  4. Widawski G, Rawiso B, Francois B (1994) Self-organized honeycomb morphology of star-polymer polystyrene films. Nature 369:387–389

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Srinivasarao M, Collings D, Philips A, Patel S (2001) Three-dimensionally ordered array of air bubbles in a polymer film. Science 292:79–83

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Yang XY, Chen LH, Li Y, Rooke JC, Sanchezc C, Su BL (2017) Hierarchically porous materials: synthesis strategies and structure design. Chem Soc Rev 46:481–558

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Wang B, Prinsen P, Wang H, Bai Z, Wang H, Luque R, Xuan J (2017) Macroporous materials: microfluidic fabrication, functionalization and applications. Chem Soc Rev 46:855–914

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Tan L, Tan B (2017) Hypercrosslinked porous polymer materials: design, synthesis, and applications. Chem Soc Rev 46:3322–3356

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Bunz UHF (2006) Breath figures as a dynamic templating method for polymers and nanomaterials. Adv Mater 18:973–989

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Hernandez-Guerrero M, Stenzel MH (2012) Honeycomb structured polymer films via breath figures. Polym Chem 3:563–577

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Bai H, Du C, Zhang A, Li L (2013) Breath figure arrays: unconventional fabrications, functionalizations, and applications. Angew Chem Int’l Ed 52:12240–12255

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Zhang A, Bai H, Li L (2015) Breath figure: a nature-inspired preparation method for ordered porous films. Chem Rev 115:9801–9868

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Nishikawa T, Ookura R, Nishida J, Arai K, Hayashi J, Kurono N, Sawadaishi T, Hara M, Shimomura M (2002) Fabrication of honeycomb film of an amphiphilic copolymer at the air−water interface. Langmuir 18:5734–5740

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Wan LS, Li JW, Ke BB, Xu ZK (2012) Ordered microporous membranes templated by breath figures for size-selective separation. J Am Chem Soc 134:95–98

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Ma H, Cui J, Song A, Hao J (2011) Fabrication of freestanding honeycomb films with through-pore structures via air/water interfacial self-assembly. Chem Commun 47:1154–1156

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Du C, Zhang AJ, Bai H, Li L (2013) Robust microsieves with excellent solvent resistance: cross-linkage of perforated polymer films with honeycomb structure. ACS Macro Lett 2:27–30

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. MuCoz-Bonilla A, Ibarboure E, Papon E, Rodriguez-Hernandez J (2009) Self-organized hierarchical structures in polymer surfaces: self-assembled nanostructures within breath figures. Langmuir 25:6493–6499

    Google Scholar 

  18. Wong KH, Davis TP, Barner-Kowollik C, Stenzel MH (2007) Honeycomb structured porous films from amphiphilic block copolymers prepared via RAFT polymerization. Polymer 48:4950–4965

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Escal P, Save M, Lapp A, Rubatat L, Billon L (2010) Hierarchical structures based on self-assembleddiblock copolymers within honeycomb micro-structured porous films. Soft Matter 6:3202–3210

    Google Scholar 

  20. Hayakawa T, Horiuchi S (2003) From angstroms to micrometers: self-organized hierarchical structure within a polymer film. Angew Chem Int Ed 42:2285–2289

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Sun W, Ji J, Shen J (2008) Rings of nanoparticle-decorated honeycomb-structured polymeric film: the combination of pickering emulsions and capillary flow in the breath figures method. Langmuir 24:11338–11341

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Matsushita SI, Kurono N, Sawadaishi T, Shimomura M (2004) Hierarchical honeycomb structures utilized a dissipative process. Synth Met 147:237–240

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Zhang Z, Hao XJ, Gurr PA, Blencowe A, Hughes TC, Qiao GG (2012) Honeycomb Films from perfluoropolyether-based star and micelle architectures. Aust J Chem 65:1186–1190

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Connal LA, Qiao GG (2006) Preparation of porous poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based honeycomb materials with hierarchal surface features and their use as soft-lithography templates. Adv Mater 18:3024–3028

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Ohzono T, Nishikawa T, Shimomura M (2004) One-step fabrication of polymer thin films with lithographic bas-relief micro-pattern and self-organized micro-porous structure. J Mater Sci 39:2243–2247

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Kim JH, Seo M, Kim SY (2009) Lithographically patterned breath figure of photoresponsive small molecules: dual-patterned honeycomb lines from a combination of bottom-up and top-down lithography. Adv Mater 21:4130–4133

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Park JS, Lee SH, Han TH, Kim SO (2007) Hierarchically ordered polymer films by templated organization of aqueous droplets. Adv Funct Mater 17:2315–2320

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Ding JY, Zhang AJ, Bai H, Li L, Li J, Ma Z (2013) Breath figure in non-aqueous vapor. Soft Matter 9:506–514

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Ding J, Gong J, Bai H, Li L, Zhong Y, Ma Z, Svrcek V (2012) Constructing honeycomb micropatterns on nonplanar substrates with high glass transition temperature polymers. J Coll Interface Sci 380:99–104

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Connal LA, Vestberg R, Hawker CJ, Qiao GG (2008) Fabrication of reversibly crosslinkable, 3-dimensionally conformal polymeric microstructures. Adv Funct Mater 18:3315–3322

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Connal LA, Qiao GG (2007) Honeycomb coated particles: porous doughnuts, golf balls and hollow porous pockets. Soft Matter 3:837–839

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Zhang Z, Hughes TC, Gurr PA, Blencowe A, Hao X, Qiao GG (2012) Influence of polymer elasticity on the formation of non-cracking honeycomb films. Adv Mater 24:4327–4330

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Connal LA, Vestberg R, Gurr PA, Hawker CJ, Qiao GG (2008) Patterning on nonplanar substrates: flexible honeycomb films from a range of self-assembling star copolymers. Langmuir 24:556–562

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Li L, Zhong Y, Gong J, Li J, Chen C, Zeng B, Ma Z (2011) Constructing robust 3-dimensionally conformal micropatterns: vulcanization of honeycomb structured polymeric films. Soft Matter 7:546–552

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Ma H, Hao J (2010) Evaporation-induced ordered honeycomb structures of gold nanoparticles at the air/water interface. Chem Eur J 16:655–660

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Fan D, Jia X, Tang P, Hao J, Liu T (2007) Self-patterning of hydrophobic materials into highly ordered honeycomb nanostructures at the air/water interface. Angew Chem Int Ed 46:3342–3345

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Shah PS, Sigman MB, Stowell CA, Lim KT, Johnston KP, Korgel BA (2003) Single-step self-organization of ordered macroporous nanocrystal thin films. Adv Mater 15:971–974

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Li J, Peng J, Huang W, Wu Y, Fu J, Cong Y, Xue L, Han Y (2005) Ordered honeycomb-structured gold nanoparticle films with changeable pore morphology: from circle to ellipse. Langmuir 21:2017–2021

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Cai XM, Cheng KW, Oey CC, Djurisic AB, Chan WK, Xie MH, Chui PC (2005) Porous metallic films fabricated by self-assembly of gold nanoparticles. Thin Solid Films 491:66–70

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Sakatani Y, Boissire C, Grosso D, Nicole L, Soler-Illia GJAA, Sanchez C (2008) Coupling nanobuilding block and breath figures approaches for the designed construction of hierarchically templated porous materials and membranes. Chem Mater 20:1049–1056

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Lee SH, Kim HW, Hwang JO, Lee WJ, Kwon J, Bielawski CW, Ruoff RS, Kim SO (2010) Three-dimensional self-assembly of graphene oxide platelets into mechanically flexible macroporous carbon films. Angew Chem Int Ed 49:10084–10088

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Yin S, Goldovsky Y, Herzberg M, Liu L, Sun H, Zhang Y, Meng F, Cao X, Sun DD, Chen H, Kushmaro A, Chen X (2013) Functional free-standing graphene honeycomb films. Adv Funct Mater 23:2972–2978

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Wakamatsu N, Takamori H, Fujigaya T, Nakashima N (2009) Self-organized single-walled carbon nanotube conducting thin films with honeycomb structures on flexible plastic films. Adv Funct Mater 19:311–316

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Takamori H, Fujigaya T, Yamaguchi Y, Nakashima N (2007) Simple preparation of self-organized single-walled carbon nanotubes with honeycomb structures. Adv Mater 19:2535–2539

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Yu Y, Ma YG (2011) Breath figure fabrication of honeycomb films with small molecules through hydrogen bond mediated self-assembly. Soft Matter 7:884–886

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Zhang M, Sun S, Yu X, Cao X, Zou Y, Yi T (2010) Formation of a large-scale ordered honeycomb pattern by an organogelator via a self-assemblyprocess. Chem Commun 46:3553–3555

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Babu SS, Mahesh S, Kartha KK, Ajayaghosh A (2009) Solvent-directed self-assembly of π gelators to hierarchical macroporous structures and aligned fiber bundles. Chem Asian J 4:824–829

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Chen JZ, Yan XZ, Zhao QL, Li L, Huang FH (2012) Adjustable supramolecular polymer microstructures fabricated by the breath figure method. Polym Chem 3:458–462

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Zhai S, Ye JR, Wang N, Jiang LH, Shen Q (2014) Formation of porous film with controlled pore size and wettability by electric breath figure method. J Mater Chem C 2:7168–7172

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Wang MY, Wang H, Zhai S, Shen Q (2016) Controlled fabrication, characterization and comparison of porous poly(L-lactide) and poly(D-lactide) films by electric breath figure. RSC Adv 6:31417–31421

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Fei B, Lu DL, Shen Q (2018) Formation of honeycomb polysulfone film with controlled wettability by surfactant-assisted electric breath figure. J Adhesion Sci Technol 32:1027–1032

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Zhai S, Hu EJ, Zhi YY, Shen Q (2015) Formation of highly ordered porous PS/SiO2 film with controlled pore size and wettability via electric breath figure method and surface chemical modification. Coll Surf A 469:294–299

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  53. Imhof A, Pine DJ (1997) Ordered macroporous materials by emulsion templating. Nature 389:948–951

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  54. Pitois O, Francois B (1999) Formation of ordered micro-porous membranes. Eur Phys J B 8:225–231

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  55. Pitois O, Francois B (1999) Crystallization of condensation droplets on a liquid surface. Colloid Polym Sci 277:574–578

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Englert BC, Scholz S, Leech PJ, Srinivasarao M, Bunz UHF (2005) Templated ceramic microstructures by using the breath-figure method. Chem Eur J 11:995–1000

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  57. Hernandez-Guerrero M, Davis TP, Barner-Kowollik C, Stenzel MH (2005) Polystyrene comb polymers built on cellulose or poly(styrene-co-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) backbones as substrates for the preparation of structured honeycomb films. Eur Polym J 41:2264–2277

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  58. Song L, Bly RK, Wilson JN, Bakbak S, Park JO, Srinivasarao M, Bunz UHF (2004) Facile microstructuring of organic semiconducting polymers by the breath figure method: hexagonally ordered bubble arrays in rigid rod-polymers. Adv Mater 16:115–118

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  59. Stenzel-Rosenbaum MH, Davis TP, Fane AG, Chen V (2001) Porous polymer films and honeycomb structures made by the self-organization of well-defined macromolecular structures created by living radical polymerization techniques. Angew Chem Int Ed 40:3428–3432

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  60. Peng J, Han YC, Yang YM, Li BY (2004) The influencing factors on the macroporous formation in polymer films by water droplet templating. Polymer 45:447–452

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  61. Luo T, Bai H, Li L (2017) Breath figure in reactive vapor: a new route to nanopore array. Langmuir 33:347–352

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Fukuhira Y, Yabu H, Ijiro K, Shimomura M (2009) Interfacial tension governs the formation of self-organized honeycomb-patterned polymer films. Soft Matter 5:2037–2041

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  63. Kojima M, Hirai Y, Yabu H, Shimomura M (2009) The effects of interfacial tensions of amphiphilic copolymers on honeycomb-patterned films. Polym J 41:667–671

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  64. Cao TT, Modigunta JKR, Male U, Huh DS (2018) Pore-selective SnS functionalization in honeycomb-patterned films by a breath figure process accompanied by chemical reaction. Adv Mater Interfaces 5:1801174

    Google Scholar 

  65. Stenzel MH (2002) Formation of regular honeycomb-patterned porous film by self-organization. Aust J Chem 55:239–243

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  66. Xu Y, Zhu BK, Xu YY (2005) A study on formation of regular honeycomb pattern in polysulfone film. Polymer 46:713–717

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  67. Wu CY, Chiang TH, Hsu CC (2008) Fabrication of microlens array diffuser films with controllable haze distribution by combination of breath figures and replica molding methods. Opt Express 16:19978–19986

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  68. Zhang Z, Wen L, Jiang L (2018) Bioinspired smart asymmetric nanochannel membranes. Chem Soc Rev 47:322–356

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  69. Ferrari E, Fabbri P, Pilati F (2011) Solvent and substrate contributions to the formation of breath figure patterns in polystyrene films. Langmuir 27:1874–1881

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. Holland BT, Blanford CF, Stein A (1998) Synthesis of macroporous minerals with highly ordered three-dimensional arrays of spheroidal voids. Science 281:538–540

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  71. Zhao X, Cai Q, Shi G, Chen G (2003) Formation of ordered microporous films with water as templates from poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) solution. J Appl Polym Sci 90:1846–1850

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  72. Zhao B, Zhang J, Wang X, Li C (2006) Water-assisted fabrication of honeycomb structure porous film from poly(L-lactide). J Mater Chem 16:509–513

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  73. Xue L, Zhang J, Han Y (2012) Phase separation induced ordered patterns in thin polymer blend films. Prog Polym Sci 37:564–594

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  74. Sun W, Tang YC, Ji J (2007) Preparation of ordered and porous honeycomb structure films of poly(lactic acid) with Pluronics as the second component. Chem J Chinese Univ 28:1388–1392

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  75. Jiang X, Zhang T, Xu L, Wang C, Zhou X, Gu N (2011) Surfactant-induced formation of honeycomb pattern on micropipette with curvature gradient. Langmuir 27:5410–5419

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  76. Zhou S, Peng H, Yu X, Zheng X, Cui W, Zhang Z (2008) Preparation and characterization of a novel electrospun spider silk fibroin/poly(d,l-lactide) composite fiber. J Phys Chem B 112:11209–11216

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  77. Otsuka H, Nagasaki Y, Kataoka K (2000) Dynamic wettability study on the functionalized PEGylated layer on a polylactide surface constructed by the coating of aldehyde-ended poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/polylactide (PLA) block copolymer. Sci Technol Adv Mater 1:21–29

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  78. Ambekar RS, Kandasubramanian B (2019) Progress in the advancement of porous biopolymer scaffold: tissue engineering application. Ind Eng Chem Res 58:6163–6194

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  79. Lee WK, Losito I, Gardella JA (2001) Synthesis and surface properties of fluorocarbon end-capped biodegradable polyesters. Macromolecules 34:3000–3006

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  80. Ouchi T, Uchida T, Ohya Y (2001) Synthesis of poly(L-lactide) with one terminal D-glucose residue and wettability of its film surface. Macromol Biosci 1:371–375

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  81. Ouchi T, Uchida T, Arimura H, Ohya Y (2003) Synthesis of poly(l-lactide) end-capped with lactose residue. Biomacromolecules 4:477–480

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  82. Stassen S, Archambeau S, Dobois P, Jerome R, Teyssie P (1994) Macromlecular engineering of polylactones and polylactides. XVI. On the way to the synthesis of ω-aliphatic primary amine poly (ϵ-caprolactone) and polylactides. J Polym Sci A 32:2443–2455

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  83. Suyatma NE, Tighzert L, Copinet A (2005) Effects of hydrophilic plasticizers on mechanical, thermal, and surface properties of chitosan films. J Agric Food Chem 53:3950–3957

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  84. Zhu H, Ji J, Tan Q, Barbosa MA, Shen J (2003) Surface engineering of poly(dl-lactide) via electrostatic self-assembly of extracellular matrix-like molecules. Biomacromolecules 4:378–386

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  85. Liu RL, Han J, Chen XJ, Lei SH, Liu HQ (2012) Fabrication and control of poly(lactide) honeycomb porous films by breath figure method. Acta Polym Sin 3:291–298

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  86. Chen S, Gao S, Jing J, Lu Q (2018) Designing 3D biological surfaces via the breath-figure method. Adv Health Mater 7:1701043

    Google Scholar 

  87. Sun W, Shao Z, Ji J (2010) Particle-assisted fabrication of honeycomb-structured hybrid films via breath figures method. Polymer 51:4169–4175

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  88. Sun W, Zhou Y, Chen ZR (2013) Fabrication of honeycomb-structured porous film from polystyrene via polymeric particle-assisted breath figures method. Macromol Res 21:414–418

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  89. Sun W, Zhou Y, Ju Y, Yang L, Xu T, Chen Z (2014) A study of morphology modulation of honeycomb hybrid films and the interfacial behavior of silica particles within a patterned polymeric matrix. Macromol Chem Phys 215:96–102

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qing Shen.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(PNG 208 kb)

ESM 2

(PNG 88 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Shen, Q. Electric breath figure: mechanism and application. J Solid State Electrochem 24, 499–510 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-019-04487-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-019-04487-z

Keywords

Navigation