Elucidating the role of surface hydrolysis in preparing organosilane nanostructures via particle lithography.

A new method of particle lithography is described for preparing rings or nanoporous films of organosilanes. Millions of exquisitely uniform and precisely spaced nanostructures with designed surface chemistry can be rapidly produced using vapor deposition through mesoparticle masks. Nanoscopic amounts of water are essential for initiating surface hydrosilation. Thus, the key step for preparing covalently bonded nanostructures of organosilanes is to control drying parameters to spatially direct the placement of water on surfaces.