Structured oligo(aniline) nanofilms via ionic self-assembly

DOI: 10.1039/c2sm06492h

Authors: Thomas Dane (University of Bristol) , Philip Cresswell (University of Bristol) , Oier Bikondoa (University of Warwick) , Gemma Newby (University of Reading) , Tom Arnold (Diamond Light Source) , Charl F. J. Faul (University of Bristol) , Wuge Briscoe (University of Bristol)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Soft Matter

State: Published (Approved)
Published: December 2011

Abstract: Conducting polymers have shown great potential for application in electronic devices. A major challenge in such applications is to control the supramolecular structures these materials form to optimise the functionality. In this work we probe the structure of oligo(aniline) thin films (of sub-?m thickness) drop cast on a silicon substrate using synchrotron surface diffraction. Self-assembly was induced through doping with an acid surfactant, bis(ethyl hexyl) phosphate (BEHP), resulting in the formation of well-ordered lamellae with the d-spacing ranging from 2.15 nm to 2.35 nm. The exact structural characteristics depended both on the oligomer chain length and film thickness, as well as the doping ratio. Complementary UV/Vis spectroscopy measurements confirm that such thin films retain their bulk electronic properties. Our results point to a simple and effective ionic self-assembly approach to prepare thin films with well-defined structures by tailoring parameters such as the oligomer molecular architecture, the nanofilm composition and the interfacial roughness.

Diamond Keywords: Semiconductors

Subject Areas: Chemistry, Materials, Physics


Instruments: I07-Surface & interface diffraction

Other Facilities: BM28 at European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)

Added On: 03/01/2012 09:56

Discipline Tags:

Surfaces Physics Physical Chemistry Electronics Chemistry Materials Science interfaces and thin films Polymer Science

Technical Tags:

Diffraction X-ray Reflectivity (XRR)