Patterning techniques for mesostructured films

Patterning mesostructured films is becoming an important area of research for its technological implications. Self-assembled mesoporous materials synthesized through templating of nano-objects offer, in fact, the possibility of hosting active organic molecules or nanoparticles, and several applications in photonics and microelectronics are now emerging. At the same time, new "unconventional" lithographic techniques are also available to design nano- or microscale patterned mesoporous structures. We discuss the recent developments of lithographic methods for patterning mesoporous materials; some applications and future trends are also envisaged in the present review.