Micropatterning of polymer thin films with pH-sensitive and cross-linkable hydrogen-bonded polyelectrolyte multilayers.

Polyelectrolyte multilayers of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and polyacrylamide (PAAm) were prepared via hydrogen-bonding interactions. These multilayers as assembled were stable at low pH but dissolved quickly in neutral pH water. We developed methods for stabilizing these multilayers to high pH through cross-linking by heating or UV-irradiation. Thermal treatment of the multilayers, which resulted in a partial imidization between carboxylic acid and amide groups, gave the multilayer good stability at high pH. In addition, we introduced photoreactive groups in the multilayer, which rendered the film insoluble after UV irradiation. Using these selective stabilization approaches, we have succeeded in micropatterning these films by ink-jet printing and photolithography to create subtractive patterns.