Polymer brush patterning using self-assembled microsphere monolayers as microcontact printing stamps

Self-assembled microsphere monolayers (SMMs) hold significant promise for micro- and nanopatterning. Here we exploit, for the first time, SMMs as stamps for microcontact printing (μCP) and demonstrate this to fabricate patterned initiator templates that can subsequently be amplified into polymer brushes by surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). SMM stamps avoid the need for expensive and sophisticated instrumentation in pattern generation, and provide a broad range of accessible surface chemistries and pitch size control.