Mesoscopic and submicroscopic patterning in thin polymer films: Impact of the solvent

Formation of mesoscopic and submicrometric self-assembled patterns in polystyrene and polycarbonate films produced by a fast dip-coating process was studied. Mixtures of chloroform and dichloromethane were used as a solvent. The mixture's composition plays a decisive role in the patterning. Close-packed honeycomb structures comprised of 200–2000 nm pores dispersed in polymer matrix were obtained. The mechanism of self-assembling is discussed.