Fabricating a binary pattern of ordered two-dimensional luminescent (mdppy)BF arrays by dewetting

Abstract

We report a convenient method for the fabrication of ordered, binary patterned 2D (mdppy)BF arrays on the surface of gold substrates. Ordered arrays of water droplets formed in the hydrophilic regions of patterned self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) which consisted of isolated hydrophobic circles surrounded by a continuous hydrophilic region. Subsequent dewetting of (mdppy)BF solution in chloroform led to the formation of an ordered array of rings in the hydrophilic regions and an ordered array of circles in the hydrophobic regions. The former resulted from a surface-directed and concentration-controlled dewetting process, while the latter was a result of the selective wetting process. Dewetting structures could be controlled by changing the experimental conditions, such as the concentration of the (mdppy)BF solution and the water condensation process.