Nanostructured pattern method of manufacture

1 . A method of forming a nanostructured pattern on a substrate comprising:

providing a substrate;

coating said substrate with functional material to form a layer of functional material;

coating said layer of functional material with a block copolymer of at least an A polymer chain and a B polymer chain;

drying said block copolymer to form ordered nanodomains;

removing the A polymer chain of the dried block copolymer to form voids; and

removing the functional material from where the A polymer chain has been removed.

2 . The method of claim 2 wherein said substrate is micropatterned.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein said drying is performed with application of shear force external energy.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein said drying is performed with application of an electric field.

5 . The method of claim 2 wherein said micropatterned substrate comprises grooves with a generally flat bottom and a pitch of less than 10 micrometers.

6 . The method of claim 1 wherein said functional material comprises an electrically conductive material.

7 . The method of claim 6 wherein said electrically conductive material is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, silver, gold, nickel, copper, indium tin oxide, antimony tin oxide, polythiophene, polyaniline and polyacetylene.

8 . The method of claim 1 wherein said A polymer chain comprises polymethylmethacrylate or polybutadiene and said B polymer chain comprises polystyrene.

9 . The method of claim 1 wherein said B polymer chain of said dried block copolymer is removed without removal of said functional material.

10 . The method of claim 5 wherein the grooves have a depth of between 50 and 600 nanometers.

11 . The method of claim 1 wherein said A polymer chain comprises acrylic polymer.

12 . The method of claim 1 wherein said B polymer chain comprises styrene.

13 . The method of claim 1 wherein said A polymer chain comprises at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of vinyl polymers, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, polyacrylics, poly(acrylamide), polyacrylonitrile, poly(acrylic acid), ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers; ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, polyether and polyol.

14 . The method of claim 1 wherein said B polymer chain comprises at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of poly(styrene); polyxylyene; vinyl polymers, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, polyacrylics, poly(acrylamide), polyacrylonitrile, poly(acrylic acid), ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers; ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, polyether, polyol, polyvinyl acetate and acetal.

15 . The method of claim 1 wherein the step of removing the A polymer chain comprises UV radiation degradation.

16 . The method of claim 1 wherein the step of removing the A polymer chain comprises solvent removal.

17 . The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of glass, thermoplastic resins, cellulose ethers, cellulose esters, polyolefins, polyacrylics, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, acrylonitrile copolymers, methyl methacrylate-styrene copolymers, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymers, methacrylated butadiene-styrene copolymers, polycarbonates polyether, polyketones, polyphenylenes, polysulfides; polysulfones, polylactones, polyurethanes, linear long-chain diols, polyether ether ketones, polyamides, polyesters, poly(arylene oxides), poly(arylene sulfides), polyetherimides, ionomers, poly(epichlorohydrins), furan resins such as poly(furan), silicones, polytetrafluoroethylenes, and polyacetals.

18 . The method of claim 1 wherein said A polymer chain is 10 nm to 100 nm in length.

19 . The method of claim 1 wherein said B polymer chain is 10 nm to 100 nm in length.

20 . The method of claim 1 further comprising removing the B polymer chain of the dried block copolymer