Self-organization of nano-lines and dots triggered by a local mechanical stimulus.
When a local mechanical perturbation is applied to the surface of a thin film of a mechanically interlocked molecule (a rotaxane), the molecules self-organize into periodic arrays of discrete dots or lines. The dimensionality of the nanostructures depends on whether the mechanical stimulus acts along a 1D line or over a 2D area. The size (50-500 nm) and periodicity (100-600 nm) of the patterns are controlled solely by the film thickness. This self-organization at the mesoscopic scale occurs via a nucleation-ripening mechanism eased by the relatively low energy barriers of the intramolecular rearrangement introduced by the mechanical bond. The phenomenon can be exploited as a bottom-up nanofabrication method.
Biscarini
Fabio
F
Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Sezione di Bologna, Via P. Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy. f.biscarini@bo.ismn.cnr.it
Cavallini
Massimiliano
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Kshirsagar
Rajendra
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Bottari
Giovanni
G
Leigh
David A
DA
León
Salvador
S
Zerbetto
Francesco
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