Patterning of solution-processable materials on templates fabricated from mixed Langmuir-Blodgett films

We report a useful lithographic technique for the fabrication of organic or metal films on wettability-patterned surfaces fabricated solely through self-assembly. The phase-separated structures in mixed Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films can be tuned by adjusting intermolecular interactions in film-forming molecules such as fatty acids, hybrid carboxylic acids, and silane-coupling agents. Templates are fabricated from phase-separated mixed LB films and organic phosphor and metal films can be formed on the templates using casting, dip-coating, and solvent evaporation techniques. This methodology enables low-cost and low-energy fabrication of patterned films comprising solution-processable materials in small facilities.