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Type: 
Journal
Description: 
We report on the use of the self-organization process of sputtered gold nanoparticles on a self-assembled block copolymer film deposited by horizontal precipitation Langmuir-Blodgett (HP-LB) method. The morphology and the phase-separation of a film of poly-n-butylacrylate-block-polyacrylic acid (Pn BuA-b-PAA) were studied at the nanometric scale by using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). The templating capability of the Pn BuA-b-PAA phase-separated film was studied by sputtering gold nanoparticles (NPs), forming a film of nanometric thickness. The effect of the polymer chain mobility onto the organization of gold nanoparticle layer was assessed by heating the obtained hybrid Pn BuA-b-PAA/Au NPs bilayer at T >T g. The nanoparticles' distribution onto the different copolymer domains was found strongly affected by the annealing treatment, showing a peculiar memory effect, which modifies the AFM phase response of the Au NPs layer onto the polar domains, without affecting their surfacial composition. The effect is discussed in terms of the peculiar morphological features induced by enhanced mobility of polymer chains on the Au NPs layer.
Publisher: 
SpringerOpen
Publication date: 
1 Dec 2011
Authors: 

Vanna Torrisi, Francesco Ruffino, Antonino Licciardello, Maria Grazia Grimaldi, Giovanni Marletta

Biblio References: 
Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-8
Origin: 
Nanoscale research letters