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Updated: May 20, 2026
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Functionalization of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes with Thermo-reversible Block Copolymers and Characterization by Small-angle Neutron Scattering
Published on: June 1, 2016
Nanoscale rings from silicon-containing triblock terpolymers.
Marc D Rodwogin1, A Baruth, Elizabeth A Jackson
1Department of Chemistry and §Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|July 5, 2012
Summary
Researchers created sub-50 nm metallic ring arrays using block polymer lithography. This versatile method enables precise fabrication of nanoscopic structures for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Nanoscopic ring arrays are crucial for technological applications and fundamental research.
- Fabricating precise, sub-50 nm ring structures presents significant challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a reliable method for creating sub-50 nm diameter nanoscopic ring arrays from metallic thin films.
- To demonstrate the versatility of the block polymer lithography approach for different metallic materials.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a triblock terpolymer with an oxidizable polydimethylsiloxane shell for self-assembly into perpendicular cylinders.
- Employed solvent annealing to orient the polymer cylinders and oxygen reactive ion etching to form a SiOx hard mask.
- Transferred the SiOx mask pattern into metallic thin films (Au, Ni80Fe20, Ni80Cr20) using Ar ion beam milling.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated sub-50 nm diameter nanoscopic ring arrays.
- Demonstrated the pattern transfer into gold (Au), nickel-iron (Ni80Fe20), and nickel-chromium (Ni80Cr20) thin films.
- Validated the block polymer lithographic pattern transfer approach as a general method.
Conclusions:
- The block polymer lithographic pattern transfer method is effective for producing sub-50 nm metallic nanoscopic ring arrays.
- This technique offers a versatile route for fabricating nanostructures for diverse scientific and technological fields.
