Abstract
Fast, low-cost, reliable, and multi-component nanopatterning techniques for functional colloidal nanoparticles have been dreamed about by scientists and engineers for decades. Although countless efforts have been made, it is still a daunting challenge to organize different nanocomponents into a predefined structure with nanometer precision over the millimeter and even larger scale. To meet the challenge, we report a nanoprinting technique that can print various functional colloidal nanoparticles into arbitrarily defined patterns with a 200 nm (or smaller) pitch (>125,000 DPI), 30 nm (or larger) pixel size/linewidth, 10 nm position accuracy and 50 nm overlay precision. The nanopatterning technique combines dielectrophoretic enrichment and deep surface-energy modulation and therefore features high efficiency and robustness. It can form nanostructures over the millimeter-scale by simply spinning, brushing or dip coating colloidal nanoink onto a substrate with minimum error (error ratio < 2 × 10−6). This technique provides a powerful yet simple construction tool for large-scale positioning and integration of multiple functional nanoparticles toward next-generation optoelectronic and biomedical devices.
Highlights
Fast, low-cost, reliable, and multi-component nanopatterning techniques for functional colloidal nanoparticles have been dreamed about by scientists and engineers for decades
The advantages of electric field-assisted surfacesorption nano-printing (EFASP) include combinatorial patterning of multiple functional nanoparticles for realizing multi-color printing by conveniently repeating the writing and assembly cycles
A charged nanopattern is first written on a fluorine polymer substrate by applying a localized high voltage (-40 to -90 V) using a conductive atomic force microscope (AFM) tip
Summary
Low-cost, reliable, and multi-component nanopatterning techniques for functional colloidal nanoparticles have been dreamed about by scientists and engineers for decades. With the recent significant advances in colloidal synthesis, NPs of metal, semiconductor, and dielectrics with unique electrical, magnetic, and optical properties can be produced routinely in large quantity and high quality[4,5] Until now it still remains a great challenge in finding robust assembly approaches to effectively introduce NPs of different compositions and functions to the pre-designed locations[6,7], several methods have been proposed in the past two decades to tackle this issue, including colloidal self-assembly[8,9], microcontact printing[10,11], dip-pen nanolithography[12], inkjet printing[13], optical tweezers[14], biomolecule-induced assembly[15], patterning within predefined features[16] or chemically modified surface[17], nanoxerography[18,19,20,21,22,23], and so on. The advantages of EFASP include combinatorial patterning of multiple functional nanoparticles for realizing multi-color printing by conveniently repeating the writing and assembly cycles
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
