Direct self-assembling and patterning of semiconductor quantum dots on transferable elastomer layer

Functionalization of thin and stretchable polymer layers by nano- and micro-patterning of nanoparticles is a very promising field of research that can lead to many different applications in biology and nanotechnology. In this work, we present a new procedure to self-assemble semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) nanoparticles by a simple fabrication process on a freestanding flexible PolyDiMethylSiloxane (PDMS) membrane. We used a Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN) crystal to imprint a micrometrical pattern on the PDMS membrane that drives the QDs self-structuring on its surface. This process allows patterning QDs with different wavelength emissions in a single step in order to tune the overall emission spectrum of the composite, tuning the QDs mixing ratio. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.