Langmuir, Vol.27, No.19, 12235-12242, 2011
Patterning Functional Materials Using Channel Diffused Plasma-Etched Self-Assembled Mono layer Templates
A simple and cost-effective methodology for large-area micrometer scale patterning of a wide range of metallic and oxidic functional materials is presented. Self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of alkyl thiols on Au were micropatterned by channel-diffused oxygen plasma etching, a method in which selected areas of SAM were protected from plasma oxidation via a soft lithographic stamp. The patterned SAMs were used as templates for site-selective electrodeposition, electroless deposition and solution-phase deposition of functional materials such as ZnO, Ni, Ag thin films, and ZnO nanowires. The patterned SAMs and functional materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and tunneling AFM (TUNA).