Semi-fluorinated Block Copolymer Directed Ordering of Gold Nanoparticles in Thin Films via Solvent Vapor Annealing

Abstract

The block copolymer thin films were prepared by spin casting micellar solutions of poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(1H,1H dihydroperflurooctyl methacrylate)(PEO_5k-b-PFOMA_22k) in chloroform with or without gold salts. Upon fluorinated solvent vapor annealing, the disordered morphology of as-casted PEO_5k-b-PFOMA_22k thin films was changed to the phase inverted ordered morphology of spherical PEO cores in PFOMA continuous phase. The phase inversion strategy of the solvent annealing was found to enhance the long-range positional ordering of the thin films. The results suggest that an organized pattern of gold nanoparticles could be afforded inside the PEO domains of the hybrid thin films.

Keywords:

• Nanoparticles
• self-assembly
• semifluorinated diblock copolymer
• solvent vapor annealing
• thin film

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) grant funded by the Korea government (MEST) (No. R01+2008-000+21056-0) and by the Joint Program of Cooperation in Science and Technology through NRF grant funded by the MEST (No. 2011+0025680).