Patent ID: 7329377

Claim:
A method for producing a shrunken replica or a shrunken inverse replica of a multicontinuous or bicontinuous structure, the method comprising: infiltrating a first multicontinuous or bicontinuous structure with a first fluid material which can be immobilized and shrunken, wherein the first multicontinuous or bicontinuous structure comprises at least a first phase and a second phase which is immiscible with the first phase, and the infiltration displaces the second phase in the first multicontinuous or bicontinuous structure to form a second multicontinuous or bicontinuous structure which comprises at least the first phase and a third phase which consists of the first fluid material; immobilizing the infiltrated first fluid material in the second multicontinuous or bicontinuous structure; removing the first phase from the second multicontinuous or bicontinuous structure; shrinking the third phase of the second multicontinuous or bicontinuous structure, to produce an isotropically shrunken inverse replica of the first multicontinuous or bicontinuous structure; infiltrating the shrunken inverse replica with a second fluid material which can be immobilized, wherein the shrunken inverse replica comprises at least a fourth phase and a fifth phase which is immiscible with the fourth phase, and the infiltration displaces the fifth phase of the shrunken inverse replica to form a third multicontinuous or bicontinuous structure which comprises the fourth phase and a sixth phase which consists of the second fluid material which is immiscible with the fourth phase; and immobilizing the infiltrated second fluid material in the third multicontinuous or bicontinuous structure.