Photocatalytic printing of inorganic nanopatterns via poly(styrene-block- carbosilane) copolymer thin films on titania substrates

Well-defined, ordered arrays of nanoscale depressions were obtained in linear-brush-type polystyrene-block-polycarbosilane (PS-b-PCS) diblock copolymer thin films by acetone vapor annealing and silica nanodot arrays were directly obtained from such thin films deposited on a titania substrate by one-step exposure to UV light as a result of transformation of the PCS units to silica, driven by the photocatalytic activity of titania concurrent with removal of the organic matrix.