8 research outputs found
Orthogonally Spin-Coated Bilayer Films for Photochemical Immobilization and Patterning of Sub-10-Nanometer Polymer Monolayers
Versatile
and spatiotemporally controlled methods for decorating
surfaces with monolayers of attached polymers are broadly impactful
to many technological applications. However, current materials are
usually designed for very specific polymer/surface chemistries and,
as a consequence, are not very broadly applicable and/or do not rapidly
respond to high-resolution stimuli such as light. We describe here
the use of a polymeric adhesion layer, polyÂ(styrene sulfonyl azide-<i>alt</i>-maleic anhydride) (PSSMA), which is capable of immobilizing
a 1–7 nm thick monolayer of preformed, inert polymers via photochemical
grafting reactions. Solubility of PSSMA in very polar solvents enables
processing alongside hydrophobic polymers or solutions and by extension
orthogonal spin-coating deposition strategies. Therefore, these materials
and processes are fully compatible with photolithographic tools and
can take advantage of the immense manufacturing scalability they afford.
For example, the thicknesses of covalently grafted polyÂ(styrene) obtained
after seconds of exposure are quantitatively equivalent to those obtained
by physical adsorption after hours of thermal equilibration. Sequential
polymer grafting steps using photomasks were used to pattern different
regions of surface energy on the same substrate. These patterns spatially
controlled the self-assembled domain orientation of a block copolymer
possessing 21 nm half-periodicity, demonstrating hierarchical synergy
with leading-edge nanopatterning approaches
Bidirectional Control of Flow in Thin Polymer Films by Photochemically Manipulating Surface Tension
The Marangoni effect causes liquids
to flow toward localized regions
of higher surface tension. In a thin film, such flow results in smooth
thickness variations and may represent a practically useful route
to manufacture topographically patterned surfaces. An especially versatile
material for this application should be able to be spatially programmed
to possess regions of higher or lower relative surface tension so
that the direction of flow into or out of those areas could be directed
with precision. To this end, we describe here a photopolymer whose
melt-state surface tension can be selectively raised or lowered in
the light exposed regions depending on the wavelength and dose of
applied light. The direction of Marangoni flow into or out of the
irradiated areas agreed with expected surface tension changes for
photochemical transformations characterized by a variety of spectroscopic
techniques and chromatographic experiments. The maximum film thickness
variations achieved in this work are over 200 nm, which developed
after only 5 min of thermal annealing. Both types of flow patterns
can even be programmed sequentially into the same film and developed
in a single thermal annealing step, which to our knowledge represents
the first example of harnessing photochemical stimuli to bidirectionally
control flow
Designing Intrablock Attractions To Increase the χ Parameter of a Symmetric Diblock Copolymer
Block copolymer (BCP) lithography
is capable of forming features
on the order of tens of nanometers, and this size is desirable for
numerous applications, including data storage devices, microprocessors,
and membranes. BCPs must be oriented to form device-relevant structures,
and polyÂ(styrene-<i>block</i>-methyl methacrylate) (PS–PMMA)
is the most widely studied BCP due to its ability to form perpendicularly
oriented features when simply heated on an energetically nonpreferential
substrate. However, the smallest practical feature sizes attainable
by PS–PMMA are about 11 nm. In this work, we incorporate a
self-interacting monomer, vinylÂnaphthalene, into the styrenic
block of PS–PMMA to effectively increase its Flory–Huggins
interaction parameter. Introducing 35 mol % of vinylÂnaphthalene
into the BCP more than doubled its χ parameter, resulting in
a BCP structure that is capable of forming features as small as 6.3
nm. We also demonstrate that like PS–PMMA, this new polyÂ((styrene-<i>random</i>-vinylÂnaphthalene)-<i>block</i>-methyl
methacrylate) (PSVN–PMMA) BCP can be oriented vertically with
only thermal annealing
Ultrasmooth Polydopamine Modified Surfaces for Block Copolymer Nanopatterning on Flexible Substrates
Nature has engineered universal,
catechol-containing adhesives which can be synthetically mimicked
in the form of polydopamine (PDA). In this study, PDA was exploited
to enable the formation of block copolymer (BCP) nanopatterns on a
variety of soft material surfaces. While conventional PDA coating
times (1 h) produce a layer too rough for most applications of BCP
nanopatterning, we found that these substrates could be polished by
bath sonication in a weakly basic solution to form a conformal, smooth
(root-mean-square roughness ∼0.4 nm), and thin (3 nm) layer
free of large prominent granules. This chemically functionalized,
biomimetic layer served as a reactive platform for subsequently grafting
a surface neutral layer of polyÂ(styrene-<i>random-</i>methyl
methacrylate-<i>random-</i>glycidyl methacrylate) to perpendicularly
orient lamellae-forming polyÂ(styrene-<i>block-</i>methyl
methacrylate) BCP. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy observations
confirmed that a BCP nanopattern on a polyÂ(ethylene terephthalate)
substrate was not affected by bending with a radius of ∼0.5
cm. This procedure enables nondestructive, plasma-free surface modification
of chemically inert, low-surface energy soft materials, thus overcoming
many current chemical and physical limitations that may impede high-throughput,
roll-to-roll nanomanufacturing
Interfacial Engineering for the Synergistic Enhancement of Thermal Conductivity of Discotic Liquid Crystal Composites
To
develop an advanced heat transfer composite, a deeper understanding
of the interfacial correlation between matrix and filler is of paramount
importance. To verify the effect of interfacial correlations on the
thermal conductivity, the conductive fillers such as expanded graphite
(EG) and boron nitride (BN) are introduced in the discotic liquid
crystal (DLC)-based polymeric matrix. The DLC matrix exhibits better
interfacial affinity with EG compared to BN because of the strong
π–π interactions between EG and DLC. Thanks to
its excellent interfacial affinity, the EG-DLC composites show a synergistic
increment in thermal conducting performance
A Photochemical Approach to Directing Flow and Stabilizing Topography in Polymer Films
Coatings and substrates with topographically
patterned features
will play an important role in efficient technologies for harvesting
and transmitting light energy. In order to address these applications,
a methodology for prescribing height profiles in polymer films is
presented here. This is accomplished by photochemcially patterning
a solid-state, sensitized polymer film. After heating the film above
its glass transition temperature, melt-state flow is triggered and
directed by the chemical pattern. A second light exposure was applied
to fully activate a heat-stable photo-crosslinking additive. The features
formed here are thermochemically stable and can act as an underlayer
in a multilayered film. To exemplify this capability, these films
were also used to direct the macroscopic film morphology of a block
copolymer overlayer
Generating Large Thermally Stable Marangoni-Driven Topography in Polymer Films by Stabilizing the Surface Energy Gradient
Marangoni forces drive a fluid to
flow in response to positional
differences in surface energy. In thin polymer films, a difference
in surface energy between two coincident liquid polymers could offer
a useful route to manufacture topographically patterned surfaces via
the Marangoni effect. Previously, we have demonstrated a photochemical
method using the Marangoni effect for patterning thin polystyrene
films. To generalize the approach, a theoretical model that gives
the underlying physics of this process was also developed, which further
revealed that low viscosities, low diffusivities, and large surface
energy gradients favor rapid evolution of large film thickness variations.
However, as described by the Stokes−Einstein equation or the
Rouse model, low viscosity is generally correlated with high diffusivity
in a single-component system. Herein, we report a strategy to decouple
film viscosity and diffusivity by co-casting a high molecular weight
surface energy gradient creating copolymer (low diffusivity) with
a low molecular weight majority homopolymer (high diffusivity and
low viscosity), which are miscible with each other. Patterned light
exposure through a photomask imposes a patterned surface energy gradient
between light-exposed and unexposed regions due to photochemical reactions
involving only the low diffusivity component. Upon heating the film
to the liquid state, the film materials (primarily the low viscosity
homopolymer component) flow from the low to high surface energy regions.
This strategy either eliminates or greatly slows dissipation of the
prepatterned surface energy gradient while maintaining rapid feature
formation, resulting in formation of ca. 500 nm high features within
only 30 min of thermal annealing. Furthermore, the formed features
are stable upon extended thermal annealing for up to one month. It
is found that a ratio of Marangoni forces to capillary forces can
provide a predictive metric that distinguishes which scenarios produce
features that dissipate or persist
Marangoni Instability Driven Surface Relief Grating in an Azobenzene-Containing Polymer Film
The Marangoni effect describes fluid
flow near an interface in
response to a surface tension gradient. Here, we demonstrate that
the Marangoni effect is the underlying mechanism for flow driven feature
formation in an azobenzene-containing polymer film; features formed
in azobenzene-containing polymers are often referred to as surface
relief gratings or SRGs. An amorphous polyÂ(4-(acryloylÂoxyhexylÂoxy)-4′-pentylÂazobenzene)
was synthesized and studied as a model polymer. To isolate the surface
tension driven flow from the surface tension pattern inscription step,
the surface tension gradient was preprogrammed via photoisomerization
of azobenzene in a glassy polymer film without forming topographical
features. Subsequently, the latent image was developed in the absence
of light by annealing above the glass transition temperature where
the polymer is a liquid. The polymer flow direction was controlled
with precision by inducing different surface tension changes in the
exposed regions, in accordance with expectation based on the Marangoni
effect. Finally, the height of the formed features decreased upon
extensive thermal annealing due to capillary leveling with two distinct
rates. A scaling analysis revealed that those rates originated from
dissimilar capillary velocities associated with different azobenzene
isomers