Nanowire and mesh conformations of diblock copolymer blends at the air/water interface

We investigated the structures formed when blends of poly(styrene-b- ferrocenyl silane) (PS-b-FS) and poly(styrene-b-2-vinyl pyridine) (PS-b-P ₂VP) were spread at the air/water interface. The results demonstrated that new structures were formed which were distinct from those formed when either of the copolymers was spread alone. Furthermore, in contrast to the pure copolymer films, the morphologies could also be controlled with surface pressure and applied external electric fields. This greatly increases the range of nanostructured patterns that could be produced by this technique in the fabrication of polymeric templates for lithography.