Issue 39, 2016

Direct nanopatterning of polymer/silver nanoblocks under low energy electron beam irradiation

Abstract

In this communication, we report on the growth, direct writing and nanopatterning of polymer/silver nanoblocks under low energy electron beam irradiation using a scanning electron microscope. The nanoblocks are produced by placing a droplet of an ethylene glycol solution containing silver nitrate and polyvinylpyrrolidone diluted in ethanol directly on a hot substrate heated up to 150 °C. Upon complete evaporation of the droplet, nanospheres, nano- and micro-triangles and nanoblocks made of silver-containing polymers, form over the substrate surface. Considering the nanoblocks as a model system, we demonstrate that such nanostructures are extremely sensitive to the e-beam extracted from the source of a scanning electron microscope operating at low acceleration voltages (between 5 and 7 kV). This sensitivity allows us to efficiently create various nanopatterns (e.g. arrays of holes, oblique slits and nanotrenches) in the material under e-beam irradiation. In addition to the possibility of writing, the nanoblocks revealed a self-healing ability allowing them to recover a relatively smooth surface after etching. Thanks to these properties, such nanomaterials can be used as a support for data writing and erasing on the nanoscale under low energy electron beam irradiation.

Graphical abstract: Direct nanopatterning of polymer/silver nanoblocks under low energy electron beam irradiation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
19 Aug 2016
Accepted
02 Sep 2016
First published
07 Sep 2016

Nanoscale, 2016,8, 17108-17112

Direct nanopatterning of polymer/silver nanoblocks under low energy electron beam irradiation

A. El Mel, N. Stephant and R. Gautier, Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 17108 DOI: 10.1039/C6NR06582A

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