The exceptional interest in improving the limitations of data storage,
molecular electronics, and optoelectronics has promoted the development of an
ever increasing number of techniques used to pattern polymers at micro and
nanoscale. Most of them rely on Atomic Force Microscopy to thermally or
electrostatically induce mass transport, thereby creating topographic features.
Here we show that the mechanical interaction of the tip of the Atomic Force
Microscope with the surface of a class of conjugate polymers produces a local
increase of molecular disorder, inducing a localized lowering of the
semiconductor conductivity, not associated to detectable modifications in the
surface topography. This phenomenon allows for the swift production of low
conductivity patterns on the polymer surface at an unprecedented speed
exceeding 20 μms−1; paths have a resolution in the order of the tip
size (20 nm) and are detected by a Conducting-Atomic Force Microscopy tip in
the conductivity maps.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures, published in Nature Communications as Article (8
pages