Facile assembly of nanoparticles into 2D micro-structured films by a polymer-aided self-organization process

Abstract

The self-assembly of micro- and nano-structures in periodic arrangement of distinct, uniform-sized nanocrystals are increasingly popular as a potential future alternative to conventional micro-fabrication techniques. One of the straightforward manipulations to periodic patterned structures is by polymer-aided self-assembly of nanoparticles. Herein the present study, we prepared micro-structured films of nanoparticles by exploring the ability of self-organization property of a tailor-made functional polymer. Our studies demonstrate that asymmetric amphiphilic poly(p-phenylene) directs the assembly of nanoparticles into a 2D micro-structured film, irrespective of the surface properties of the nanoparticles.