Long range self-assembly of polythiophene breath figures: Optical and morphological characterization

Large-area, device relevant sized microporous thin films are formed with commercially available polythiophenes by the breath figure technique, a water-assisted micropatterning method, with such semitransparent thin films exhibiting periodicity and uniformity dictated by the length of the polymer side chain. Compared to drop-casted thin films, the microporous thin films exhibit increased crystallinity due to stronger packing of the polymer inside the honeycomb frame. Ordered microporous thin films of centimeter sized large area are successfully prepared from commercially available polythiophenes by using a breath figure technique. Structural and optical characterization of these thin films reveals increased crystallinity and ordered aggregates in the frame.