Fabrication of patterned polyaniline microstructure through microcontact printing and electrochemistry

Polyaniline (PANI) microstructures on ITO glass surface were achieved by microcontact printing of self-assembled film and electrochemical polymerization in an aqueous monoaniline solution. The patterned microstructures of PANI were easily transferred to an adhesive tape surface, which could be applied in the area of plastic circuit application. Optical microscope, atomic force microscopy (AFM), lateral force microscopy (LFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to examine the topography and properties of patterned PANI films. Optical microscope and AFM results showed that the PANI microstructure has regular pattern and clear boundary, while LFM and XPS results implied that this microstructure was completely covered by PANI. The data suggested that the interfacial properties of the surface control the rate of electrochemical polymerization, and the polymerization rate on the modified ITO surface is higher than that on the bare ITO area. In our experiments, cyclic voltammetric method, potentiostatic method and chronopotentiometry method were employed to deposited patterned PANI films on octadecyltrichorosilane modified ITO substrate.