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Nucleating pattern formation in spin-coated polymer blend films with nanoscale surface templates
Joseph H Wei1, David C Coffey, David S Ginger
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1750, USA.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|December 1, 2006
Summary
Dip-Pen Nanolithography creates surface templates guiding polymer blend patterns. Specific monolayers direct pattern formation in polystyrene/poly(2-vinylpyridine) and polystyrene/poly(3-hexylthiophene) blends, showing template-induced dewetting.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Surface templating is crucial for controlling thin film morphology.
- Polymer blend dewetting is a key phenomenon in thin film self-assembly.
- Dip-Pen Nanolithography offers precise control over surface patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate template-directed pattern formation in polymer blend films using Dip-Pen Nanolithography.
- To explore the influence of monolayer surface chemistry on pattern formation in polystyrene/poly(2-vinylpyridine) and polystyrene/poly(3-hexylthiophene) blends.
- To analyze the relationship between template feature size and polymer pattern morphology.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing Dip-Pen Nanolithography (DPN) to create monolayer surface templates.
- Spin-coating polymer blends, including polystyrene/poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS/P2VP) and polystyrene/poly(3-hexylthiophene) (PS/P3HT).
- Characterizing the resulting polymer patterns and comparing them with theoretical models of template-directed dewetting.
Main Results:
- Acid-terminated monolayers effectively template PS/P3HT blends, while hydrophobic monolayers template PS/P2VP blends.
- Polymer patterns exhibit lateral phase separation and vertical bilayer formation, consistent with template-induced dewetting.
- A minimum template feature size is required to initiate dewetting, approximately 180 nm for PS/P2VP and 100 nm for PS/P3HT.
- Template feature size influences pattern initiation, with PS/P2VP showing boundary-initiated patterns and PS/P3HT showing random rupture.
Conclusions:
- Monolayer surface chemistry dictates successful template-directed dewetting in polymer blends.
- DPN-generated templates provide a versatile platform for controlling nanoscale patterns in polymer films.
- The findings align with models of template-directed dewetting, validating the proposed mechanism and providing insights into feature size limitations.
