Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-020-05410-z ORIGINAL PAPER: FUNCTIONAL COATINGS, THIN FILMS AND MEMBRANES (INCLUDING DEPOSITION TECHNIQUES) Preparation of mesoporous silica thin films at low temperature: a comparison of mild structure consolidation and template extraction procedures Gustavo Giménez 1 ● Gabriel Ybarra 1 ● Galo J. A. A. Soler-Illia 2 Received: 24 June 2020 / Accepted: 31 August 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020 Abstract Mesoporous thin films (MTFs) displaying high surface area and controlled porosity constitute interesting materials for a plethora of applications in optics and electronics. A critical aspect in MTF processing is template removal that usually consists in thermal treatment at 350 °C, which consolidates the oxide film but might change the pore features. In addition, the use of such high temperature must be avoided when organic functionalities are to be preserved, or in the case of film deposition on polymeric substrates. Here we present and compare five different methods to consolidate silica MTF (SMTF) in mild conditions, at a maximum processing temperature of 130 °C. Conditions, such as duration of the thermal treatment, vacuum conditions, exposure to acidic and alkaline media, were systematically explored and the resulting films were analyzed by optical microscopy, focused ion beam, scanning electron microscopy, ellipsometry, and infrared spectroscopy. The optimized conditions leading to accessible mesopores and a stable oxide structure that can be used as a mesoporous perm-selective electrode are discussed. Graphical Abstract Keywords Mesoporous thin films ● Soft processing ● Sol–gel condensation ● Template extraction * Galo J. A. A. Soler-Illia gsoler-illia@unsam.edu.ar 1 INTI-Micro y Nanotecnologías, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial, Av. Gral. Paz 5445, San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina 2 Instituto de Nanosistemas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, CONICET, Av. 25 de Mayo 1021, San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina Supplementary information The online version of this article (https:// doi.org/10.1007/s10971-020-05410-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. 1234567890();,: 1234567890();,: