title: Self-patterning of fine metal electrodes by means of the formation of isolated silver nanoclusters embedded in polyaniline.
abstract: A novel self-patterning technique, which is not based on surface energy differentiation with low or high surface energy as used in conventional surface energy techniques, is presented, using polyaniline and an organometallic silver compound. The underlying mechanisms used to control the electrical conductivity of the metallic silver converted from the organometallic silver compound by a thermal process are also analysed, with electrical and microstructural characterizations. It is found that polyaniline in conjunction with the organometallic silver compound changes its oxidation state from the conductive emeraldine form to the non-conductive pernigraniline form, and silver nanoclusters in the presence of polyaniline do not form a continuous conductive network, although the sheet resistance of silver nanoclusters in the absence of polyaniline is as low as 4.27 +/- Omega/ square at the curing temperature of 230 degrees C. By means of these chemical and physical traits of polyaniline and the organometallic silver compound, alternating conductive and non-conductive stripes were self-patterned without the aid of surface energy patterning techniques, the linewidth and nominal pitch of which went down to 23.2 +/- 0.7 microm and 40 microm, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Nano-Mechanical Systems Research Division, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, 171 Jang-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-343, Republic of Korea. dongyoun.shin@gmail.com
authors.forename: Dong-Youn
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Inyoung
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D004566:Electrodes; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000814:Aniline Compounds; C416807:polyaniline; D012834:Silver