Abstract
Polymer microstructures are widely used in optics, flexible electronics, and so forth. We demonstrate a cost-effective bottom-up manner for patterning polymer microstructures by evaporative self-assembly under a flexible geometric confinement at a high temperature. Two-parallel-plates confinement would become curve-to-flat shape geometric confinement as the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) cover plate deformed during solvent swelling. We found that a flexible cover plate would be favorable for the formation of gradient microstructures, with various periodicities and widths obtained at varied heights of clearance. After thermal annealing, the edge of the PMMA (Poly-methylmethacrylate) microstructures would become smooth, while the RR-P3HT (regioregular-poly(3-hexylthiophene)) might generate nanocrystals. The morphologies of RR-P3HT structures included thick films, straight lines, hierarchical stripes, incomplete stripes, and regular dots. Finally, a simple field-effect transistor (FET) device was demonstrated with the RR-P3HT micropattern as an active layer.
Highlights
Evaporative self-assembly under geometric confinement is a simple bottom-up facial manner for fabricating microstructures of various nanomaterials which are widely used in applications of optics, optoelectronics, flexible electronics, bioengineering, and so forth [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
PMMA can be formed into microstructures—such as circular rings, straight stripes, and hierarchical stripes—with various periodicities and widths under different height of clearance for evaporative assembly
A semiconducting type polymer RR-P3HT can be patterned into gradient microstructures, with various morphologies of thick film, stripes, discontinuous stripes, regularly-distributed dots, etc
Summary
Evaporative self-assembly under geometric confinement is a simple bottom-up facial manner for fabricating microstructures of various nanomaterials which are widely used in applications of optics, optoelectronics, flexible electronics, bioengineering, and so forth [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Functional polymers have been patterned into highly ordered microstructures using many kinds of geometric confinement. It is easy to figure out that the opening of the geometric confinement would influence the evaporative rate. The effect of high temperatures in evaporative self-assembly should be further studied, especially for some solvents with high boiling points, in order that the formation of microstructure can be promoted
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