Figure 6
Schematic illustration of the CNC-templating of inorganic materials (as explored by MacLachlan and co-workers21, 76, 84, 85, 86) compared with the preparation of dried CNC films. The starting point is always a fluid CNC suspension (top left), which may be liquid crystalline or isotropic. By drying this without additives, a dried film with left-handed, helically arranged CNC rods is produced (bottom left). If an inorganic precursor is added before drying, the CNC helix is contained in an inorganic solid matrix (top middle). By calcinating the sample, the CNCs are removed, leaving the inorganic material with a CNC-templated internal helical structure (top right). If, instead, the CNCs are pyrolyzed into carbon (downwards track, middle) followed by the removal of the inorganic component, a helically arranged mesoporous carbon structure results (bottom right).
