Fuming method for micropatterning structures on Langmuir-Blodgett films

Thin-film-based nanoarchitectures for soft matter: controlled assemblies into two-dimensional worlds

Controlling the organization of molecular building blocks at the nanometer level is of utmost importance, not only from the viewpoint of scientific curiosity, but also for the development of next-generation organic devices with electrical, optical, chemical, or biological functions. Self-assembly offers great potential for the manufacture of nanoarchitectures (nanostructures and nanopatterns) over large areas by using low-energy and inexpensive spontaneous processes. However, self-assembled structures in 3D media, such as solutions or solids, are not easily incorporated into current device-oriented nanotechnology. The scope of this review is therefore to introduce the expanding methodology for the construction of thin-film-based nanoarchitectures on solid surfaces and to try to address a general concept with emphasis on the availability of dynamic interfaces for the creation and manipulation of nanoarchitectures. In this review, the strategies for the construction of nanostructures, the control and manipulation of nanopatterns, and the application of nanoarchitectures are described; the construction strategies are categorized into three classes: i) π-conjugated molecular assembly in two dimensions, ii) bio-directed molecular assembly on surfaces, and iii) recent thin-film preparation technologies.

Self-patterned mixed phospholipid monolayers for the spatially selective deposition of metals

Metal-reactive organosulfur groups were patterned onto mica and silicon surfaces by dewetting instabilities during the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition of phase-separated mixed phospholipid monolayers. Monolayers were formed from binary mixtures of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), dilauroylphosphatidylcholine (DLPC), and their ω-methyldisulfide-dialkylphosphatidylcholine analogues, DSDPPC and DSDLPC. Patterns of highly parallel stripes of condensed DPPC or DSDPPC, protruding by 0.7-0.9 nm from a fluid matrix of DLPC or DSDLPC, were observed over areas extending at least 30 × 30 μm(2) in the LB films. The average stripe width varied from ca. 150 to 500 nm, depending on the lipid composition and deposition pressure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that the phospholipid-monolayer-bound methydisulfides react with Au vapor to form a gold-thiolate species. The adsorption of thermally evaporated Au, Ag, and Cu onto DSDPPC/DLPC and DPPC/DSDLPC patterns was investigated by field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEGSEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A change in phase contrast is observed in FEGSEM and AFM over the methyldisulfide-functionalized areas following metal deposition due to metal-thiolate bond formation. An increase in step height between the DSDPPC stripes and nonfunctionalized DLPC background following metal deposition, as well as the resistance of the metal-coated DSDPPC or DSDLPC regions to detergent extraction from the surface, attest to a selective metallization of the pattern. Our results indicate that the preferential adsorption of vapor-deposited metal onto the ω-methyldisulfide-terminated phase occurs at submonolayer coverages. The chemical reactivity exhibited by the organosulfur-modified phospholipid LB films make these templates potentially interesting for the fabrication of solid-supported patterns of metal nanostructures.

Atomic force microscope nanolithography: dip-pen, nanoshaving, nanografting, tapping mode, electrochemical and thermal nanolithography

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been widely employed as a nanoscopic lithography technique. In this review, we summarize the current state of research in this field. We introduce the various forms of the technique, such as nanoshaving, nanografting and dip-pen nanolithography, which we classify according to the different interactions between the AFM probe and the substrate during the nanolithography fabrication process. Mechanical force, applied by the tip to the substrate, is the variable that can be controlled with good precision in AFM and it has been utilized in patterning self-assembled monolayers. In such applications, the AFM tip can break some relatively weak chemical bonds inside the monolayer. In general, the state of the art for AFM nanolithography demonstrates the power, resolution and versatility of the technique.