Morphological control in colloidal crystal templating of inverse opals, hierarchical structures and shaped particles

Inverse opals or three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) materials, prepared by colloidal crystal templating (CCT) methods, possess distinctive structural features that are important for the design of photonic crystals, sensors, power sources, catalysts, and various other applications. In the past decade, vast progress has been made in shaping these materials at various length scales. It is now possible to prepare 3DOM materials in a variety of simple and complex compositions, in which pore sizes, pore shapes, and skeletal geometries can be adjusted statically and sometimes even dynamically to alter the physical properties of the material. Hierarchical pore structures can be achieved by combining CCT with additional templating techniques. Furthermore, shaped porous nanoparticles may be synthesized using CCT methods. This review will highlight recent advances in controlling both the internal structure of inverse opals and their external morphology, enhancing compositional complexity, endowing these solids with functionality, and incorporating them in integrated functional systems.