Directed assembly of polymer blends on nanoscale patterned self assembled monolayers.

摘要

Because of their versatility, wide availability, and low cost, immiscible polymer blends are promising materials for the fabrication of nanostructures for various technological applications. This work investigates the directed assembly of polystyrene (PS)/poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) polymer blends on nanoscale patterned self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Hydrophilic and hydrophobic alkanethiols were patterned onto a gold surface to create the nanoscale patterns. The polymer blends were assembled on the patterned surface by spin coating and the patterning behavior as a function of the humidity and the strength of interaction between the template and polymers was investigated.;It was found that humidity significantly affected the assembly of PS/PAA polymer blends. Lower humidity resulted in thinner films and better replication of the underlying substrate pattern. Increasing the spin speed at higher humidity could decrease the film thickness and improve the assembly results. The interaction strength between the polymer and the patterned surface also affected assembly. By increasing the interaction strength, the polymer blends were successfully assembled over a greater range of polymer blend compositions.