Hierarchical assembly of nanoscale polymer domains in microstructure template made by AFM machining technique

A combined top-down/bottom-up hierarchical approach were presented to fabricate massively arrays of aligned nanoscale domains by means of the self-assembly of asymmetric poly (styrene-block-ethylene/butylenes-block-styrene) (SEBS) tirblock copolymers. Silicon substrates of various microstucture made by AFM machining technique are used to template the alignment of spherical and high-aspect-ratio cylindrical polymer domains. The periodic arrays of the poly domains were orientated via the introduction of AFM micromachining technique as a tool for locally controlling the self-assembly process of triblock copolymers by the topography of the silicon substrate. This graphoepitaxial methodology can be exploited in hybrid hard/soft condensed matter systems for a variety of applications. Moreover, Pairing top-down and bottom-up techniques is a promising, and perhaps necessary, bridge between the parallel self-assembly of molecules and the structural control of current technology.