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Unconventional 2D Periodic Nanopatterns Based on Block Molecules

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Abstract

This review summarizes the self-assembly of block molecules forming unconventional two-dimensional (2D) periodic nanopatterns. Especially, we emphasize the structural evolution from simple columnar phases to complex 2D tiling morphologies in soft materials including block copolymers, liquid crystals, giant molecules, etc. Then, the state-of-the-art nanofabrication technologies for making sophisticated nanostructures with specific functions via combining both bottom-up assembly and top-down lithography-based methods are discussed, highlighting the use of directed self-assembly processes. Finally, we provide our perspective on this area. By further increasing the complexity of block molecules and the designability of lithography, low-dimensional ordered morphologies will be particularly promising for further application in nanotechnology.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21925102, 21991132, 92056118 and 22101010). W. B. Z. also thanks the financial support from the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2018YFB0703702) and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (No. BNLMS-CXXM-202006). We thank Dr. Yahong Chen at Peking University for helpful discussion.

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  1. Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry & Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Bo Hou, Wen-Bin Zhang & Yu Shao

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  1. Bo Hou
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  2. Wen-Bin Zhang
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  3. Yu Shao
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Correspondence to Wen-Bin Zhang or Yu Shao.

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Wen-Bin Zhang is an editorial board member for Chinese Journal of Polymer Science and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article. All authors declare that there are no competing interests.

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Wen-Bin Zhang received his BS from Peking University in 2004 and his Ph.D. in Polymer Science from the University of Akron in 2010. After his postdoctoral study at Caltech, he started his independent career at Peking University in 2013 and was promoted to a tenured associate professor in 2019 and to full professor in 2020. He aims to integrate the design principles and building blocks of both synthetic and biological polymers for the development of precision macromolecules with unique functions for health-related applications.

Yu Shao obtained his Ph.D. in material science from Donghua University in 2019. He then worked as a Boya postdoctoral fellow and BMS fellow at the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering at Peking University in Prof. Wen-Bin Zhang’s group. In 2023, he joined Peking University as a deputy investigator. His main research interests are the design and synthesis of giant molecules and exploring their applications in fields of unconventional phase construction and advanced nanofabrication.

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Hou, B., Zhang, WB. & Shao, Y. Unconventional 2D Periodic Nanopatterns Based on Block Molecules. Chin J Polym Sci 41, 1508–1524 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-023-3038-8

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