Electrochemical deposition of macroporous platinum, palladium and cobalt films using polystyrene latex sphere templates

Highly ordered macroporous films of platinum, palladium and cobalt with reg ular arrays of spherical pores with diameters of 0.40, 0.70 or 1 mu m are p repared by electrochemical deposition into the interstitial spaces of a tem plate formed by polystyrene latex spheres self-assembled on gold electrodes ; after deposition of platinum, palladium or cobalt, the polystyrene sphere s are fully removed by washing in toluene to leave a highly periodic, hexag onal close packed, interconnected network of monodisperse spherical pores w ithin the metal film, the size of which is determined by the diameter of th e polystyrene latex particles used to prepare the template.