Nanopatterning of a Stimuli-Responsive Fluorescent Supramolecular Polymer by Thermal Scanning Probe Lithography.

The miniaturization of nanometer-sized multicolor fluorescent features is of continuous significance for counterfeit security features, data storage, and sensors. Recent advances in engineering of stimuli-responsive supramolecular polymeric materials that respond upon exposure to heat or mechanical force by changing their fluorescence characteristics open new opportunities as functional lithographic resists. Here, we demonstrate the patterning of a thermochromic supramolecular material by thermal scanning probe lithography (t-SPL), an emerging nanofabrication technique, which allows for ultrafast indentation with a heated probe, resulting in both fluorescent and topographic nanofeatures.