CdTe nanocrystal assemblies guided by breath figure templates

We successfully utilized the breath figure (BF) technique to create thin polystyrene films exhibiting, on the surface, holes of a few micrometres of diameter, arranged in hexagonal packed array. Three-dimensional CdTe microporous structures have been obtained by dipping these BF films into an aqueous solution of CdTe nanocrystals, and stabilized by thermal treatment. The resultant hybrid film joins together the morphology feature of polymeric breath figures and the photoluminescence feature of the semiconducting nanoparticles. In addition, micrometric disk-shaped CdTe aggregates have been anchored in hexagonal fashion to a silicon substrate, which has previously been imprinted with a hydrophilic/hydrophobic pattern. These patterned surfaces made of assembled quantum dots are promising tools for a variety of applications including light-emitting devices and hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells.