Bimodal arrays of two types of nanoparticles by mixtures of diblock copolymer micelles

Abstract

For multiple functionalities with nanoparticles, controlled assembly of several types of nanoparticles on a solid substrate is desirable. In this study, we demonstrate the fabrication of a bimodal array of two types of nanoparticles and switching of their sizes and locations by using a mixture of copolymer micelles. In proof of concept, we first synthesized a bimodal array of large gold nanoparticles and small platinum oxide nanoparticles from a mixture of large and small micelles containing precursors of nanoparticles. By switching the location of the precursors, the array was converted to one of large platinum oxide nanoparticles and small gold nanoparticles with the preservation of the order of the array. The methodology demonstrated here can be applied to the fabrication and control of bimodal arrays of nanoparticles with a wide choice of types and sizes for multifunctional arrays of nanoparticles.