Issue 14, 2016

Nanopatterned polymer brushes by reactive writing

Abstract

Polymer brush patterns were prepared by a combination of electron beam induced damage in self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), creating a stable carbonaceous deposit, and consecutive self-initiated photografting and photopolymerization (SIPGP). This newly applied technique, reactive writing (RW), is investigated with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane SAM (PF-SAM) on silicon oxide, which, when modified by RW, can be selectively functionalized by SIPGP. With the monomer N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), we demonstrate the straightforward formation of polymer brush gradients and single polymer lines of sub-100 nm lateral dimensions, with high contrast to the PF-SAM background. The lithography parameters acceleration voltage, irradiation dose, beam current and dwell time were systematically varied to identify the optimal conditions for the maximum conversion of the SAM into a carbonaceous deposit. The results of this approach were compared to patterns prepared by carbon templating (CT) under analogous conditions, revealing a dwell time dependency, which differs from earlier reports. This new technique expands the range of CT by giving the opportunity to not only vary the chemistry of the created polymer patterns with monomer choice but also vary the chemistry of the surrounding substrate.

Graphical abstract: Nanopatterned polymer brushes by reactive writing

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Nov 2015
Accepted
10 Feb 2016
First published
10 Feb 2016
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale, 2016,8, 7513-7522

Author version available

Nanopatterned polymer brushes by reactive writing

J. F. Nawroth, C. Neisser, A. Erbe and R. Jordan, Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 7513 DOI: 10.1039/C5NR08282J

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