ZnO or polystyrene (PS) pillar arrays were formed on solid substrates and used as templates for the formation of porous polymer membranes. The membranes were formed by casting a polymer solution in the inter-pillar space of these templates and evaporating the solvent. Dissolution of the pillars in a selective solvent resulted in thin films containing monodisperse micrometer-sized channels. Membranes produced using the pillar template technique showed high water permeability and high size selectivity. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.