Electrospun biomimetic catalytic polymer template for the sol-gel formation of multidimensional ceramic structures

•Biomimetic polymer acts as both catalyst and template for ceramic formation.•Condensation of ceramic occurs at neutral pH and room temperature.•Polymer is processed prior to ceramic formation, resulting in multidimensional ceramics.•Difficult to hydrolyze precursors such as TEOS can be used. A biomimetic block copolymer, poly(hydroxylated isoprene-b-2-vinyl pyridine), mimicking the catalytic and templating properties of the protein Silicatein α, was used to template the condensation of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional silica and titania materials. Spin-coating and electrospinning techniques were used to process the block copolymer into fibers and films that were treated with tetraethoxy orthosilicate (TEOS) or titanium (IV) iso-propoxide (TiP) to form organic-inorganic hybrid fibers and films. All hybrid materials were synthesized at room temperature and neutral pH, and even after calcination and removal of the polymer, the ceramics retain the structure templated by the block copolymer.