High densities of immobilized polymer brushes have been created on solid supports in a spatially addressable fashion. Octadecyltrichlorosilane was self-assembled on a silicon substrate to form an inert monolayer. The substrate was then patterned by low-energy electron beam lithography. Finally, the exposed region was back-filled with a second functionalized silane and the pattern was further amplified by surface-initiated ring-opening metathesis polymerization. The patterned substrate was imaged by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.Key words: patterned thin film, e-beam lithography, ring-opening metathesis polymerization, polymer brushes.
Negative charging process of a grounded insulating thin film under low-energy electron beam irradiation