Multilayer transfer printing of electroactive thin film composites

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/am506120e

We demonstrate the high fidelity transfer printing of an electroactive polymer nanocomposite thin film onto a conductive electrode. Polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films of thickness ∼200 nm containing 68 vol % Prussian Blue nanoparticles are assembled on a UV-curable photopolymer stamp and transferred in their entirety onto ITO-coated glass creating ∼2.5 μm-wide line patterns with ∼1.25 μm spacing. AFM and SEM are used to investigate pattern fidelity and morphology, while cyclic voltammetry confirms the electroactive nature of the film and electrical connectivity with the electrode. The patterning strategy presented here could be used to pattern electroactive thin films containing a high density of nanoparticles onto individually addressable microelectrodes for a variety of applications ranging from biosensor arrays to flexible electronics.