Polymeric Nanowires
The preparation of nanoscale structures is an important step in the study of fundamental chemical and physical processes at unusually small dimensions. Typically, these structures are composed of inorganic semiconductors or transition metals, but these materials can suffer from a lack of processability and adaptability. Conducting polymers are one promising class of materials with unique physical and chemical properties for nanodevice development. The electrochemical and photochemical properties of these thermally and environmentally stable polymers can be tailored for specific applications including organic light-emitting diodes, electrochromic displays, and photo- and electrochemical device components. We are using the electrochemical dip-pen nanolithography to fabricate polymeric nanostructures. Recently, we have prepared nanoscale polymeric nanolines and nanoscale junctions from aniline, ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT), and pyrrole.
Selected Publications
- “Direct-Writing of Polymer Nanostructures: Poly(thiophene) Nanowires on Semiconducting and Insulating Surfaces.” Benjamin W. Maynor, Shaun F. Filocamo, Mark W. Grinstaff, and Jie Liu
Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2002, 124, 522-523. Link
Oxidative polymerization mechanism of poly-EDOT.
AFM image of two polymer lines written at 10 nm/sec (left) and 1 nm/sec (right). The humidity was 28% and the voltage was –12 V. Polymer linewidth: 50 nm Scale bar: 1 micrometer. Inset: cross-section of the two lines.
AFM image of two different conducting polymer nanowires drawn on top of each other.