A second-generation polyphenylene dendrimer I is shown to self-assemble into nanofibers. To guide the formation of the dendrimer fibers into well-defined patterns, 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane is grafted in the gas phase onto a silicon substrate. De-wetting of the solution on the nanopatterned surface results in the formation of a nanostructured template, into which fiber growth subsequently occurs under the constraints set by the de-wetted morphology.
Heyen, A. J. J. V., Buron, C. C., Tianshi, Q., Bauer, R., Jonas, A., Muellen, K., De Schryver, F. C., & De Feyter, S. (2008). Guiding the self-assembly of a second-generation polyphenytene dendrimer into well-defined patterns. Small, 4(8), 1160-1167. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.200701009 (Original work published 2008)