Adsorption and multilayer assembly of charged macromolecules on neutral hydrophobic surfaces and applications to surface patterning

Abstract

Micrometer- and nanometer-scale chemical patterns are indispensable and ubiquitous in a range of applications, such as optoelectronic devices and (bio) chemical sensors. This thesis studies chemical surface patterning utilizing polyelectrolyte multilayers for electronic and biological applications. It focuses on both fundamental study and application development in the field of layer-by-layer self-assembled composite thin films, with the goal of defining new concepts allowing for technological breakthrough. In the process of completing it, a multicomponent patterning technology that has been a bottleneck in realizing practical devices utilizing the multilayers has been developed. To achieve this goal, a multilayer transfer printing concept was applied to serial printing of individual device components. The main achievements include fundamental studies about uniform multilayer assembly of charged macromolecules on neutral hydrophobic surfaces as the principle of the technique, and the demonstration of multicomponent patterning of polyelectrolyte/nanoparticle composite thin films on a flexible substrate.

(cont.) Extending the technique toward nanometer-scale patterning, a new polymeric mold material that was suitable for sub-100 nm structuring was studied and used for chemical patterning for flow control in microfuidic devices and nanoparticle assembly for potential biological applications, combined with polyelectrolyte multilayers.