Patent for High-Speed Printing of Nanoscale Patterns
University Distinguished and MIE William Lincoln Smith Professor Ahmed Busnaina was awarded a patent for “High rate printing of microscale and nanoscale patterns using interfacial convective assembly.”
Abstract Source: USPTO
Interfacial convective assembly can assemble any type of nanoparticles or other nanoelements in minutes to form microscale and nanoscale patterns in vias or trenches in patterned substrates. A solvent film is deposited on a patterned substrate. An aqueous suspension of nanoparticles is deposited onto the solvent film, thereby forming an interfacial liquid system comprising the nanoparticles within an enclosed space on the substrate. The substrate is then heated, thereby inducing convective flow in the interfacial liquid system. The convective flow includes solutal Marangoni convective flow in a direction towards the patterned substrate, causing nanoelements to be transferred to and bind to the patterned substrate. The nanoelements can be assembled on both hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. Nanoparticles can fuse during the process to provide solid or single crystalline electrical circuit components.
