Templating methods for preparation of porous structures

This article features recent research progress towards various templating methods for preparing porous structures with prescribed structural, surface, and morphological properties. It should be noted that this is not a comprehensive review article as such reviews are available in the literature. Instead, on the basis of our own research results we attempt to provide a brief summary of recent demonstrations of how templating strategies can be used to prepare porous architectures with desired properties to meet the specific requirements of new technological applications, such as environmentally friendly technology, nanotechnology, tissue engineering, and photonics.