Controlling droplet-based deposition uniformity of long silver nanowires by micrometer scale substrate patterning

We report control of droplet-deposit uniformity of long silver nanowires suspended in solutions by microscopic influence of the liquid contact line. Substrates with microfabricated line patterns with a pitch far smaller than mean wire length lead to deposit thickness uniformity compared to unpattern...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nanotechnology 2015-12, Vol.26 (48), p.485301-485301
Main Authors: Basu, Nandita, Cross, Graham L W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
coffee stain
Contact
Contact angle
contact line
Deposition
dewetting
Droplets
evaporation
micropatterned substrates
Nanostructure
Silver
silver nanowire
Variability
Wire
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Summary:We report control of droplet-deposit uniformity of long silver nanowires suspended in solutions by microscopic influence of the liquid contact line. Substrates with microfabricated line patterns with a pitch far smaller than mean wire length lead to deposit thickness uniformity compared to unpatterned substrates. For high boiling-point solvents, two significant effects were observed: The substrate patterns suppressed coffee ring staining, and the wire deposits exhibited a common orientation lying perpendicular over top the lines. The latter result is completely distinct from previously reported substrate groove channeling effects. This work shows that microscopic influence of the droplet contact line geometry including the contact angle by altered substrate wetting allows significant and advantageous influence of deposition patterns of wire-like solutes as the drop dries.
ISSN:0957-4484
1361-6528
DOI:10.1088/0957-4484/26/48/485301