title: Orienting periodic organic-inorganic nanoscale domains through one-step electrodeposition.
abstract: One of the challenges in the synthesis of hybrid materials with nanoscale structure is to precisely control morphology across length scales. Using a one-step electrodeposition process on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates followed by annealing, we report here the preparation of materials with preferentially oriented lamellar domains of electron donor surfactants and the semiconductor ZnO. We found that either increasing the concentration of surfactant or the water to dimethyl sulfoxide ratio of solutions used resulted in the suppression of bloomlike morphologies and enhanced the density of periodic domains on ITO substrates. Furthermore, by modifying the surface of the ITO substrate with the conductive polymer blend poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate), we were able to alter the orientation of these electrodeposited lamellar domains to be perpendicular to the substrate. The long-range orientation achieved was characterized by 2D grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering. This high degree of orientation in electronically active hybrids with alternating nanoscale p-type and n-type domains is of potential interest in photovoltaics or thermoelectric materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.forename: Joshua E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Goldberger
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Daniel T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Samuel I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Stupp
mesh_terms: D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000737:chemistry; D004595:Electroplating / Q000379:methods*; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000737:chemistry; D011721:Pyrenes / Q000737:chemistry; D053838:Scattering, Small Angle; D012666:Semiconductors; D017971:Tin Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D011108:Polymers; D011137:Polystyrenes; D011721:Pyrenes; D017971:Tin Compounds; C121383:poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene); C002218:1-pyrenebutyrate; C003321:polystyrene sulfonic acid; C109984:indium tin oxide; D015034:Zinc Oxide