Dip-pen patterning of poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) chain-conformation-based nano-photonic elements.

ABSTRACT: Metamaterials are a promising new class of materials, in which sub-wavelength physical structures, rather than variations in chemical composition, can be used to modify the nature of their interaction with electromagnetic radiation. Here we show that a metamaterials approach, using a discrete physical geometry (conformation) of the segments of a polymer chain as the vector for a substantial refractive index change, can be used to enable visible wavelength, conjugated polymer photonic elements. In particular, we demonstrate that a novel form of dip-pen nanolithography provides an effective means to pattern the so-called ?-phase conformation in poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) thin films. This can be done on length scales ?500?nm, as required to fabricate a variety of such elements, two of which are theoretically modelled using complex photonic dispersion calculations.

SUBMITTER: Perevedentsev A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4309429 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature