Synthesis of Geometrically Well Defined, Molecularly Thin Polymer Films

Patterned self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), generated by microcontact printing, facilitate the synthesis of molecularly thin polymer films with well-defined in-plane (lateral) dimensions and perpendicular-to-the-plane compositions. After release from the surface, the 5 – 10 nm thick polymer sheets retain the shape dictated by the pattern in the SAM, although they exhibit some tendency to fold and form rolls.