Microcontact transfer printing of zeolite monolayers

A strategy based on the microcontact printing technique (MCP) to obtain well-ordered and uniformly oriented zeolite L monolayers on conductive surfaces without chemical modification of the zeolite or the substrate was reported. Polyaniline (PANI) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), which were spin-coated in 40 and 50nm thick layers, onto the ITO surface, were investigated. Using a PDMS stripe-patterned stamp and following the same procedure as with flat PDMS, the zeolite crystals were completely transferred from the glass substrate to the PDMS patterned surface upon compression of the stamps on the monolayer. The narrow channel entrances (0.71 nm) and the rigid crystalline structure of the transparent zeolites provide a perfect basis for establishing the anisotropy of the system by employing light polarization.