Formation of Titanium Nanostructures on Block Copolymer Templates with Varying Molecular Weights

Abstract

A novel and simple method for producing mesoporous titanium films and supported titanium nanoparticle hexagonal arrays is presented. During evaporation on block copolymer templates, titanium self-assembles as either a mesoporous film or as a hexagonal close-packed nanodot structure. The morphology of the titanium only depends on the molecular weight of the block copolymer, which results in a remarkable fabrication technique that saves time relative to conventional methods. Analyses using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray reflectometry, and grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering correlate the morphology of the titanium with the buried polymer structure. The mesoporous titanium film exhibited a pore size of approximately 16 nm, with a pore-to-pore distance of 42 nm. The average size of the hexagonally packed nanodots was 60 nm, with a center-to-center distance of 88 nm commensurate with the template features. An analysis of the chemical composition showed that the structures were titanium dioxide,...