Methods for controlling the pitch of self-assembled ionic liquid crystal (ILC) structures

A method to control a pitch of a self-assembled ionic liquid crystal (ILC) structure formed on a substrate, the method comprising:

• providing a solution comprising:
• (a) ionic liquid crystals (ILCs) having cation head groups, alkyl tail groups and anions, and (b) an ionic liquid (IL) having cation head groups and alkyl tail groups;
• depositing the solution onto a surface of the substrate, wherein the ILCs and the IL self-assemble on the surface of the substrate to form a layered structure having alternating layers of head group layers and tail group layers, with the cation head groups and the anions segregated to the head group layers and the alkyl tail groups segregated to the tail group layers, wherein a pitch between the alternating layers of the layered structure is equal to a combined width of one head group layer and one tail group layer;
• and
• controlling the pitch between the alternating layers of the layered structure by controlling a cation/anion charge ratio of the cation head groups included within the ILCs and the IL and the anions included within the ILCs prior to depositing the solution onto the surface of the substrate.