Pattern formation using polystyrene benzaldimine self-assembled monolayer by soft X-ray

A nanopatterning fabrication by soft X-ray generated chemical construction of a polystyrene benzaldehydeimine monolayer has been carried out from the polystyrenebezaldehyde resin with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane for the first time. The molecular layer was exposed to soft X-rays; the involved chemical modification on the monolayer was analyzed by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total internal reflectance and contact angle measurement. As a result, we could confirm that the imine monolayer was cleaved upon the soft X-ray irradiation, leaving the hydrophobic part, the imine functionality was changed into a new nonhydrolysable, and the hydrophilic amine functionality was established from the unexposed imine monolayer through acid hydrolysis. This above phenomenon is used for the patterning of self-assembled monolayers. The microscope images revealed patterns as small as ≤52.4 nm with regular height and phase variations.