The degradation of poly (1,3-dihydroxybenzene) films in the presence of sodium hydroxide has been studied. It is found that films of poly (1,3-dihydroxybenzene) when grown electrochemically under certain conditions are pinhole free. Concentrations of sodium hydroxide as low as 10 mM lead to pore formation in the polymer layer in a controlled manner. Microelectrode ensembles can be produced using this technique. An impedance model has been developed that characterises the behaviour of these thin-layer, porous polymer films. (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.