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Cheng X, Tempeler J, Danylyuk S, Böker A, Tsarkova L. Disclosing Topographical and Chemical Patterns in Confined Films of High-Molecular-Weight Block Copolymers under Controlled Solvothermal Annealing. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:1943. [PMID: 39000798 PMCID: PMC11243801 DOI: 10.3390/polym16131943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2024] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The microphase separation of high-molecular-weight block copolymers into nanostructured films is strongly dependent on the surface fields. Both, the chain mobility and the effective interaction parameters can lead to deviations from the bulk morphologies in the structures adjacent to the substrate. Resolving frustrated morphologies with domain period L0 above 100 nm is an experimental challenge. Here, solvothermal annealing was used to assess the contribution of elevated temperatures of the vapor Tv and of the substrate Ts on the evolution of the microphase-separated structures in thin films symmetric of polystyrene-b-poly(2vinylpyridine) block copolymer (PS-PVP) with L0 about 120 nm. Pronounced topographic mesh-like and stripe patterns develop on a time scale of min and are attributed to the perforated lamella (PL) and up-standing lamella phases. By setting Tv/Ts combinations it is possible to tune the sizes of the resulting PL patterns by almost 10%. Resolving chemical periodicity using selective metallization of the structures revealed multiplication of the topographic stripes, i.e., complex segregation of the component within the topographic pattern, presumably as a result of morphological phase transition from initial non-equilibrium spherical morphology. Reported results reveal approaches to tune the topographical and chemical periodicity of microphase separation of high-molecular-weight block copolymers under strong confinement, which is essential for exploiting these structures as functional templates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Cheng
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr. 69, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Dongnandaxue Road 2, Jiangning District, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Jenny Tempeler
- Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT), Steinbachstr. 15, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Serhiy Danylyuk
- Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT), Steinbachstr. 15, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Alexander Böker
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr. 69, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Larisa Tsarkova
- German Textile Research Center North-West (DTNW), Adlerstr. 1, 47798 Krefeld, Germany
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2
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Qiao L, Vega DA, Schmid F. Stability and Elasticity of Ultrathin Sphere-Patterned Block Copolymer Films. Macromolecules 2024; 57:4629-4634. [PMID: 38765499 PMCID: PMC11100483 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c00460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Sphere-patterned ultrathin block copolymer films are potentially interesting for a variety of applications in nanotechnology. We use self-consistent field theory to investigate the elastic response of sphere monolayer films with respect to in-plane shear, in-plane extension, compression deformations, and bending. The relations between the in-plane elastic moduli are roughly compatible with the expectations for two-dimensional elastic systems with hexagonal symmetry, with one notable exception: The pure shear and the simple shear moduli differ from each other by roughly 20%. Even more importantly, the bending constants are found to be negative, indicating that free-standing block copolymer membranes made of only a sphere monolayer are inherently unstable above the glass transition. Our results are discussed in view of the experimental findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Qiao
- Institut
für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität
Mainz, Mainz D55099, Germany
| | - Daniel A. Vega
- Instituto
de Física del Sur (IFISUR), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones
Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca 8000, Argentina
| | - Friederike Schmid
- Institut
für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität
Mainz, Mainz D55099, Germany
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3
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Abdelrahman D, Iseli R, Musya M, Jinnai B, Fukami S, Yuasa T, Sai H, Wiesner UB, Saba M, Wilts BD, Steiner U, Llandro J, Gunkel I. Directed Self-Assembly of Diamond Networks in Triblock Terpolymer Films on Patterned Substrates. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:57981-57991. [PMID: 37989271 PMCID: PMC10739600 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c10619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Block copolymers (BCPs) are particularly effective in creating soft nanostructured templates for transferring complex 3D network structures into inorganic materials that are difficult to fabricate by other methods. However, achieving control of the local ordering within these 3D networks over large areas remains a significant obstacle to advancing material properties. Here, we address this challenge by directing the self-assembly of a 3D alternating diamond morphology by solvent vapor annealing of a triblock terpolymer film on a chemically patterned substrate. The hexagonal substrate patterns were designed to match a (111) plane of the diamond lattice. Commensurability between the sparse substrate pattern and the BCP lattice produced a uniformly ordered diamond network within the polymer film, as confirmed by a combination of atomic force microscopy and cross-sectional imaging using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy. The successful replication of the complex and well-ordered 3D network structure in gold promises to advance optical metamaterials and has potential applications in nanophotonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doha Abdelrahman
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - René Iseli
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Michimasa Musya
- Laboratory
for Nanoelectronics and Spintronics, Research
Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira,
Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Butsurin Jinnai
- WPI
Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira,
Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Fukami
- Laboratory
for Nanoelectronics and Spintronics, Research
Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira,
Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
- WPI
Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira,
Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
- Center
for Science and Innovation in Spintronics, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
- Center
for Innovative Integrated Electronic Systems, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-0845, Japan
- Inamori
Research Institute for Science, Kyoto 600-8411, Japan
| | - Takeshi Yuasa
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell
University, 214 Bard Hall, Ithaca, New
York 14853-1501, United States
| | - Hiroaki Sai
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell
University, 214 Bard Hall, Ithaca, New
York 14853-1501, United States
| | - Ulrich B. Wiesner
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell
University, 214 Bard Hall, Ithaca, New
York 14853-1501, United States
| | - Matthias Saba
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
- Swiss
National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) Bio-Inspired Materials, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Bodo D. Wilts
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
- Department
of Chemistry and Physics of Materials, University
of Salzburg, Jakob-Haringer-Str. 2a, Salzburg 5020, Austria
- Swiss
National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) Bio-Inspired Materials, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Ullrich Steiner
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
- Swiss
National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) Bio-Inspired Materials, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Justin Llandro
- Laboratory
for Nanoelectronics and Spintronics, Research
Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira,
Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
- Center
for Science and Innovation in Spintronics, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Ilja Gunkel
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
- Swiss
National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) Bio-Inspired Materials, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
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Demazy N, Argudo PG, Fleury G. Competitive Registration Fields for The Development of Complex Block Copolymer Structures by A Layer-by-Layer Approach. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2205254. [PMID: 36504447 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202205254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly in thin films is an elegant method to generate nanometric features with tunable geometrical configurations. By combining directed assembly and hybridization methods, advances in nano-manufacturing have been attested over the past decades with flagship applications in lithography and optics. Nevertheless, the range of geometrical configurations is limited by the accessible morphologies inherent to the energy minimization process involved in BCP self-assembly. Layering of nanostructured BCP thin films has been recently proposed in order to enrich the span of nanostructures derived from BCP self-assembly with the formation of non-native heterostructures such as double-layered arrays of nanowires or dots-on-line and dots-in-hole hierarchical structures. In this work, the layer-by-layer method is further exploited for the generation of nano-mesh arrays using nanostructured BCP thin films. In particular, a subtle combination of chemical and topographical fields is leveraged in order to demonstrate design rules for the controlled registration of a BCP layer on top of an underneath immobilized one by the precise tuning of the interfacial chemical field between the two BCP layers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Demazy
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, LCPO, UMR 5629, Pessac, F-33600, France
| | - Pablo G Argudo
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, LCPO, UMR 5629, Pessac, F-33600, France
| | - Guillaume Fleury
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, LCPO, UMR 5629, Pessac, F-33600, France
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Sun D. Hierarchical double periodic structures formed by the linear multiblock copolymers A(BA)2C and (BA)3C with compositions of the A, B and C blocks in ratio 1:1:2. JOURNAL OF POLYMER RESEARCH 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10965-023-03450-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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6
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Hashmi SUM, Iqbal MA, Malik M, Qamar MT, Khan M, Zahid A, Islam MR, Al-Bahrani M, Morsy K, Lai WC. Synthesis and Characterization of Polyvinyl Chloride Matrix Composites with Modified Scrap Iron for Advanced Electronic, Photonic, and Optical Systems. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:3147. [PMID: 36144935 PMCID: PMC9503333 DOI: 10.3390/nano12183147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In this study, Fe2O3 powder was synthesized using the co-precipitation method from scrap iron, which was then treated with varying concentrations of copper. Afterwards, the modified Fe2O3 was reinforced in the PVC matrix by using the solution-casting method to synthesize PVC composite films, which were subjected to a UV-visible spectrophotometer, a Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, an X-ray diffractometer, and a thermal gravimetric analyzer to evaluate the optical, chemical, structural, and thermal properties. FTIR analysis reveals the formation of the composite through vibrational bands pertaining to both components present, whereas no significant changes in the XRD patterns of PVC were observed after the doping of modified iron oxide, which reveals the compatibility of fillers with the PVC matrix. The optical properties of the copper-doped iron oxide-PVC composites, including absorbance, refractive index, urbach energy, and optical as well as electrical conductivity are measured, and show an increase in optical activity when compared to the pure PVC compound. Moreover, the increased thermal stability of the synthesized composite was also observed and compared with conventional compounds, which, in accordance with all the other mentioned properties, makes the copper-dopped iron oxide-PVC composite an effective material for electronic, photonic, and optical device applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Muhammad Aamir Iqbal
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Maria Malik
- Centre of Excellence in Solid State Physics, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | | | - Maham Khan
- Department of Chemistry, Forman Christian College, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
| | - Abu Zahid
- Department of Computer Science, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 77705, USA
| | - Md. Rasidul Islam
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Bangamata Sheikh Fojilatunnesa Mujib Science and Technology University, Melandah, Jamalpur 2012, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammed Al-Bahrani
- Air conditioning and Refrigeration Techniques Engineering Department, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Babylon 51001, Iraq
| | - Kareem Morsy
- Biology Department, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wen-Cheng Lai
- Bachelor Program in Industrial Projects, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Douliu 640301, Taiwan
- Department of Electronic Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Douliu 640301, Taiwan
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7
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Kulkarni AA, Doerk GS. Hierarchical, Self-Assembled Metasurfaces via Exposure-Controlled Reflow of Block Copolymer-Derived Nanopatterns. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:27466-27475. [PMID: 35656598 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c05911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Nanopatterning for the fabrication of optical metasurfaces entails a need for high-resolution approaches like electron beam lithography that cannot be readily scaled beyond prototyping demonstrations. Block copolymer thin film self-assembly offers an attractive alternative for producing periodic nanopatterns across large areas, yet the pattern feature sizes are fixed by the polymer molecular weight and composition. Here, a general strategy is reported which overcomes the limitation of the fixed feature size by treating the copolymer thin film as a hierarchical resist, in which the nanoscale pattern motif is defined by self-assembly. Feature sizes can then be tuned by thermal reflow controlled locally by irradiative cross-linking or chemical alteration using lithographic ultraviolet light or electron beam exposure. Using blends of polystyrene-block-poly(methylmethacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) with PS and PMMA homopolymers, we demonstrate both self-assembled PS grating and hexagonal hole patterns; exposure-controlled reflow is then used to reduce the hole diameter by as much as 50% or increase the PS grating linewidth by more than 180%. Transferring these nanopatterns, or their inverse obtained by a lift-off approach, into silicon yields structural colors that may be prescriptively controlled based on the nanoscale feature size. Furthermore, patterned exposure enables area-selective feature size control, yielding uniform structural color patterns across centimeter square areas. Electron beam lithography is also used to show that the lithographic resolution of this selective-area control can be extended to the nanoscale dimensions of the self-assembled features. The exposure-controlled reflow approach demonstrated here takes a pivotal step toward fabricating complex, hierarchical optical metasurfaces using scalable self-assembly methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish A Kulkarni
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Gregory S Doerk
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
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