Self-assembly of nanostructured diatom microshells into patterned arrays assisted by polyelectrolyte multilayer deposition and inkjet printing.
Individual shells of the diatom Coscinodiscus were self-assembled into a rectangular array on a glass surface that possessed a polyelectrolyte multilayer patterned through inkjet printing. This patterned thin film possessed hierarchical order with nanostructure provided by the diatom biosilica. The process used two polyelectrolytes with opposite electric potentials to control the surface charge of the substrate. The fine features of the diatom frustules were perfectly preserved as a result of the mild conditions of the deposition process. This technique has the potential to enable large-scale device applications that harness the unique properties of functionalized diatom biosilica.
Wang
Wei
W
Department of Chemical Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA.
Gutu
Timothy
T
Gale
Debra K
DK
Jiao
Jun
J
Rorrer
Gregory L
GL
Chang
Chih-hung
CH