Critical role of wettability in assembly of zirconia nanoparticles on a self-assembled monolayer-patterned substrate

Abstract

This study investigated which factors decisively influence colloidal nanoparticle (NP) assembly on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-patterned substrate. Zirconia (ZrO2) NP assembly on a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-stamped SAM-patterned Au substrate was carried out while the size and surface charge state of the NPs and the substrate wettability were altered. ZrO2 particles with diameters of 350 nm, 560 nm, and 1100 nm were employed to examine the effect of NP size on the assembly. Bare ZrO2 NPs with a negatively charged surface and ZrO2 NPs with a positively charged surface through 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane encapsulation were prepared for the NP assembly. Moreover, the substrate wettability effect on the NP assembly was evaluated by comparing the assembly on substrates with the PDMS-patterned SAMs of thiols with polar and non-polar functional groups. From the characterization of the number of NPs in a pattern and the effective area of assembled NPs (Aeff), positively charged ZrO2 NP assembly on negatively charged patterns showed the highest number density of particles in a pattern compared with the other combinations in both 350-nm and 560-nm ZrO2 NPs. This observation can be attributed to negatively charged 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid SAMs having greater polarity (more polar groups) than positively charged 11-amino-1-undecanethiol SAMs within the condition of the colloidal ZrO2 NP assembly.