Characteristics and Micropatterning of Spin Self-Assembled Ultrathin Multilayers

Abstract

A new method is introduced to build organic/organic multilayer films composed of cationic poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and negatively-charged poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) using the spinning process. The adsorption process is governed by both the viscous force induced by fast solvent elimination and the electrostatic interaction between oppositely-charged species. On the other hand, the centrifugal and air shear forces applied by the spinning process enhance significantly the desorption of weakly-bound polyelectrolyte chains and also induce the planarization of the adsorbed polyelectrolyte layer. The surface of the multilayer films prepared with the spinning process is quite homogeneous and smooth. Also, a new approach to create multilayer ultrathin films with well-defined micropatterns in short process time is introduced. To achieve such micropatterns with high line resolution in organic multilayer films, microfluidic channels were combined with the convective self-assembly process employing both hydrogen bonding and electrostatic intermolecular interactions. As a next step, we extended the spin SA to the fabrication of multilayer micropatterns with vertical heterostructure.