Figure 3: A model of the nanotemplating mechanism that produces an ultrafine contiguous polymer network morphology.

(a) The polymer (red chains) comprising ordered (yellow) and amorphous domains is lightly crosslinked (green links) to give a swellable network. (b) This network expands in contact with the solvent to allow for incorporation of guest and solvent molecules. (c) As the solvent evaporates, the network contracts, and its morphology becomes nanotemplated by the incorporated guest molecules. The properties of the resultant morphology, such as phase length scale, order and connectivity, are determined more by the crosslink density than solvent or drying conditions or the film thickness.