Production of Ordered Arrays of Polymer Nanoparticles

We succeeded in fabricating nanoscale arrays of particles based on hydroxylated poly(butyl methacrylate-b-glycidyl methacrylate) which was prepared via a novel atom-transfer radical polymerization technique. Nanosized latex particles of the copolymer were obtained in the THF/toluene solvent system. By the evaporation of the latex solution on a substrate, the ordered self-assembled monolayer was formed. Rather regular, two-dimensional arrays of nanoparticles with the diameter down to approximately 12 nm were observed by means of TEM. The regular nature of the arrays can accurately be controlled by depositing the monolayer at a lower temperature.