Conductive polymer-mediated 2D and 3D arrays of Mn₃O₄ nanoblocks and mesoporous conductive polymers as their replicas

Orientation-controlled 2D and 3D microarrays of Mn₃O₄ nanocuboids that were mediated by a conductive polymer were fabricated by evaporation-induced self-assembly of the oxide nanoblocks and subsequent polymerization of pyrrole in the interparticle spaces. Free-standing mesoporous polypyrroles (PPy) having chain- and square-grid-like nanovoid arrays were obtained as replicas of the composite assemblies by dissolving the oxide nanoblocks. The PPy-mediated manganese oxide arrays exhibited stable electrochemical performance as an ultrathin anode of a lithium-ion secondary battery.