Controlled syntheses of conducting polymer micro- and nano-structures for potential applications

The development of nanostructured polymers has opened up novel fundamental and applied frontiers, which has attracted tremendous interest in recent years. We have recently developed techniques for the micro-lithographic formation of conducting polymer patterns on the micrometer scale and for coating conducting polymers on individual aligned carbon nanotubes. The micro- and nano-fabrication facilitates the use of conducting polymers for various applications ranging from multicolor polymer light-emitting displays to biosensors. More recently, we have demonstrated the controlled syntheses of conducting polymer microcontainers through electrochemical generation of surfactant (i.e. β-napthalenesulfonic acid, β-NSA)-stabilized H2 gas bubbles on the working electrode, followed by electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole around the wall of the “soap bubble” template. By pre-patterning the working electrode surface with non-conducting polymers through micro-contact printing (μCP) or plasma patterning, we have also produced conducting polymer microcontainers in a patterned fashion. Furthermore, potential applications of the patterned and non-patterned conducting polymer microcontainers have been demonstrated, for example, by immobilizing glucouse oxidase (GOX) onto the conducting polymer microcontainers for glucose sensing. This paper provides a brief summary of our work on micro- and nano- fabrication of conducting polymer for various potential applications.