This research focuses on the development and mechanical characterization of a class of nano-structured materials that can be described as surfactant templated inorganic oxides. Silica films with controllable structure and porosity on the 2 - 30 nm length scale have been manufactured. Because of the high degree of chemical control available, the periodic repeat distance, the inorganic wall thickness, and the symmetry of the porous solid can be varied essentially independently. The basic mechanical properties of strength, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and values for elastic and failure strains that are needed to realize their potential as engineering materials are determined using a micro-film-tester. Preliminary data shows a failure strain of 2% in an as-drawn and untreated silica film containing 60% organic phase. This is remarkably higher than 0.2% exhibited by its fully dense counterpart. These films could have an enormous potential as “strain-relief” interlayers between dissimilar materials of largely varying thermal expansion coefficients or at interfaces of films that entrap significant growth stresses (e.g., silicon nitride dielectric layers in electronic circuits).