Non-close-packed pore arrays through one-step breath figure self-assembly and reversal

Non-close-packed arrays of micro- and submicron-pores with separation distances many multiples of pore size were fabricated using a dynamic self-assembly method known as breath figure patterning. We report a novel method by which these arrays can be formed via the in situ control of growth and shrinkage of the water droplet arrays during polymer film drying. Transfer of the polymer solution onto a thermally conductive stage midway during the drying process afforded breath figure arrays with feature separation-to-size ratios of up to 12.44. This novel approach introduces the possibility of forming non-close-packed morphologies not typically accessible via traditional self-assembly methods.

[1]  C. Haynes,et al.  Nanosphere Lithography: A Versatile Nanofabrication Tool for Studies of Size-Dependent Nanoparticle Optics , 2001 .

[2]  Juan Peng,et al.  The influencing factors on the macroporous formation in polymer films by water droplet templating , 2004 .

[3]  Younan Xia,et al.  Monodispersed Colloidal Spheres: Old Materials with New Applications , 2000 .

[4]  Limaye,et al.  Evidence for convective effects in breath figure formation on volatile fluid surfaces. , 1996, Physical review letters.

[5]  R. V. Duyne,et al.  Nanosphere lithography: A materials general fabrication process for periodic particle array surfaces , 1995 .

[6]  Lee R. White,et al.  The interaction of colloidal particles collected at fluid interfaces , 1981 .

[7]  M. Kröger,et al.  Adsorption of core-shell nanoparticles at liquid–liquid interfaces , 2011 .

[8]  Kevin W Eliceiri,et al.  NIH Image to ImageJ: 25 years of image analysis , 2012, Nature Methods.

[9]  Ting Xu,et al.  Hierarchical nanoparticle assemblies formed by decorating breath figures , 2004, Nature materials.

[10]  S. H. Lee,et al.  Hierarchically Ordered Polymer Films by Templated Organization of Aqueous Droplets , 2007 .

[11]  M. Srinivasarao,et al.  Characterization of ordered array of micropores in a polymer film , 2011 .

[12]  T. Dupont,et al.  Capillary flow as the cause of ring stains from dried liquid drops , 1997, Nature.

[13]  M. Srinivasarao,et al.  Physical characterisation of microporous and nanoporous polymer films by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and high speed video microphotography , 2004 .

[14]  B. Zhang Newby,et al.  Porous polymer films templated by marangoni flow-induced water droplet arrays. , 2009, Langmuir.

[15]  Jun Fu,et al.  Ordered honeycomb-structured gold nanoparticle films with changeable pore morphology: from circle to ellipse. , 2005, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[16]  Bernard François,et al.  Self-organized honeycomb morphology of star-polymer polystyrene films , 1994, Nature.

[17]  G. Magnus,et al.  Versuche über die Spannkräfte des Wasserdampfs , 1844 .

[18]  J. Hoogenboom,et al.  Template-induced growth of close-packed and non-close-packed colloidal crystals during solvent evaporation , 2004 .

[19]  Bartosz A. Grzybowski,et al.  Electrostatic Self-Assembly of Binary Nanoparticle Crystals with a Diamond-Like Lattice , 2006, Science.

[20]  Joanna Aizenberg,et al.  Rationally Designed Complex, Hierarchical Microarchitectures , 2013, Science.

[21]  O. Pitois,et al.  Crystallization of condensation droplets on a liquid surface , 1999 .

[22]  R. Eskridge,et al.  Improved Magnus form approximation of saturation vapor pressure , 1996 .

[23]  S. Kim,et al.  Highly entangled carbon nanotube scaffolds by self-organized aqueous droplets , 2009 .

[24]  Shuyan Gao,et al.  Unique hexagonal non-close-packed arrays of alumina obtained by plasma etching/deposition with catalytic performance , 2011 .

[25]  Knobler,et al.  Two-dimensional ordering during droplet growth on a liquid surface. , 1990, Physical review. B, Condensed matter.

[26]  C. Knobler,et al.  How does dew form , 1991 .

[27]  R. Ruoff,et al.  Three-dimensional self-assembly of graphene oxide platelets into mechanically flexible macroporous carbon films. , 2010, Angewandte Chemie.

[28]  Mohan Srinivasarao,et al.  Three-Dimensionally Ordered Array of Air Bubbles in a Polymer Film , 2001, Science.

[29]  P. Williams,et al.  Effect of solvent choice on breath-figure-templated assembly of “holey” polymer films , 2009 .

[30]  U. Bunz,et al.  Breath Figures as a Dynamic Templating Method for Polymers and Nanomaterials , 2006 .

[31]  F. Meseguer,et al.  Non-close packed colloidal crystals , 2005 .

[32]  Bai Yang,et al.  Tunable two-dimensional non-close-packed microwell arrays using colloidal crystals as templates. , 2007, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[33]  Bai Yang,et al.  Fabrication of non-close-packed arrays of colloidal spheres by soft lithography. , 2005, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[34]  Francesco Pilati,et al.  Solvent and substrate contributions to the formation of breath figure patterns in polystyrene films. , 2011, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[35]  Peng Jiang,et al.  Templated fabrication of sub-100 nm periodic nanostructures. , 2008, Chemical communications.