Block Copolymer Lithography as a Facile Route for Developing Nanowire-Like Arrays

Nanowires and nanowire-like arrays have received substantial attention as a result of both their proven and potential relevance in technological applications. Among the nanowire fabrication technologies, block copolymer (BCP) lithography is currently attaining increased interest due to a number of advantages including: (a) large throughput patterning, (b) low-cost processing, (c) scalability, and d) tunable etch resistance between two or more blocks. The efficacy of BCP lithography in nanomanufacturing can be realized only after key challenges are overcome such as the ability of the polymer to wet relevant substrates, pattern perfection over macroscopic areas (for certain applications), and non-invasive procedures for pattern transfer to name a few. In this work, we demonstrate a procedure for developing nanowire-like arrays of materials with a variety of physical attributes that are emerging as candidates for modern technologies, specifically yttrium iron garnet (magnetic material), highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (carbonaceous material related to graphene), and palladium (metal).