Intelligent block copolymer self-assembly towards IoT hardware components

The Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as the principal element for hyperconnectivity in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, in which low-power and self-sustainable operation, miniaturization and communication are the main requirements for advanced systems. Highly functional nanoscale structures, together with fabrication processes on the sub-100-nm scale, can be useful for the development of versatile miniaturized IoT devices. In this Perspective, we introduce block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly as a tool for the fabrication of high-performance IoT hardware components. Tailored material design of BCPs in terms of chemical diversity and molecular architectures enables the dense integration of physical and chemical functionalities below the tens of nanometres scale. BCPs can be used as nanoscale templates for surface nanopatterning, as soft 3D nanoporous structures or as nanopatterned substrates for spatially selective chemical functionalities. We summarize advances in technological areas relevant to the IoT, such as sensing, energy harvesting, user interfaces and information security systems. We also consider the limitations and open challenges that must be addressed, and we outline future research directions towards the use of BCP assembly for the next generation of IoT systems. Block copolymer self-assembly provides sub-10-nm periodic nanopatterned structures to fabricate Internet of Things (IoT) hardware components with a cost-effective, large-area approach. This Perspective focuses on how nanostructuring can improve the performance and introduce versatile functionalities to IoT components.