Two-dimensional confinement of nanorods in block copolymer domains

Gold nanorods (NRs) self-orient during the self-assembly of a symmetric poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) film. The NRs are selectively sequestered and confined in lamellar PMMA domains, which are narrower than the NR length. This confinement orients 71% of NRs within +/- 5 degrees of the lamella plane. During solvent annealing, a gradient in the concentration of NRs is observed. This route to produce alternating layers containing conducting NRs separated by dielectric domains has the potential for fabricating self-assembled nanodevices.