Crystallization Growth and Micropatterning on Self-Assembled Conductive Polymer Nanofilms

A process for producing conducting polymer nanofilms is demonstrated. In this process, organic polymers, which have a π-conjugated system, become self-assembling by depositing polymerization in the gas phase. The polypyrrole nanoscale films, having several crystalline morphologies, were successfully fabricated by a self-organizing technique of monomer, and their fine-pitched patterns can also be easily formed by microcontact printing, using selective self-assembly. Compared with traditional polymerization and film-coating procedures, this process reduces the percolation threshold for electrical conductivity, increases the conductivity by several orders of magnitude, and simultaneously improves the thermal stability and light transmittance. These conductive thin films, possessing polycrystalline structures, have a very high conductivity and electron mobility and are capable of being applied to organic optoelectronic films for electrical devices such as the organic EL and semiconductor.