Development of Interfacial Nanoassembly Techniques in Functional Nanomaterials

The precise integration of functional materials, such as organic–inorganic hybrid building blocks or π-conjugated units, is a key issue in the development of bio- and nanoelectronic devices. This focus review highlights the author’s recent study of the nanoscale assembly of polymer materials based on the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique, which allows high-density integration of functional units. (1) The nanoassembly of silsesquioxane-containing polymers can be used to produce uniform monolayers, which are precursors of ultrathin SiO2 films with controlled porosity. The SiO2 films were used as resistive switching devices with low set/reset voltages. (2) The nanoassembly of inorganic nanoparticles and metal-organic framework films on polymer films demonstrates the importance of the spatial alignment of anchoring units in the polymer films depending on adsorption mechanisms. (3) The nanoassembly of π-conjugated units can be used for high-density and low-dimensional assembly, using newly proposed amphiphilic homopolymers with π-conjugated units in the side chains. These examples demonstrate the potential of LB-based fabrication as a candidate strategy for functional device fabrication