Controlled Segmentation of Metal Nanowire Array by Block Copolymer Lithography and Reversible Ion Loading. Issue 17 (20th February 2017) - Mun, Jeong Ho
Abstract : Spatial arrangement of 1D nanomaterials may offer enormous opportunities for advanced electronics and photonics. Moreover, morphological complexity and chemical diversity in the nanoscale components may lead to unique properties that are hardly anticipated in randomly distributed homogeneous nanostructures. Here, controlled chemical segmentation of metal nanowire arrays using block copolymer lithography and subsequent reversible metal ion loading are demonstrated. To impose chemical heterogeneity in the nanowires generated by block copolymer lithography, reversible ion loading method highly specific for one particular polymer block is introduced. Reversibility of the metal ion loading enables area‐selective localized replacement of metal ions in the self‐assembled patterns and creates segmented metal nanowire arrays with different metallic components. Further integration of this method with shear aligning process produces high aligned segmented metal nanowire array with desired local chemical compositions. Abstract : Area‐selective chemical segmentation of metallic nanowire arrays is prepared from block copolymer (BCP) lithography. To induce desired local chemical segmentation, reversible metal ion loading is exploited, where metal ion complexation in BCP nanodomains can be unloaded and replaced by another type of metal ion complex. The position and shape of reversible metal ion complexation can be exactly controlled by overlaid patterned masks.