Oriented periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) film th organic functionality inside the channel walls

The first examples of an oriented periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) fi lm, containing a variety of organic groups (ethane, ethene, benzene, thioph ene) inside the channel walls, are reported. The mesostructure of the PMO f ilm appears oriented with respect to the surface of the underlying glass su bstrate. Liquid-crystal topological defects in the precursor gels are repli cated in the resulting PMO film and are evident in polarized optical micros copy images, recorded between crossed-polarizers, which show fan-type optic al birefringence texture characteristic of the mesostructure.