DEPOSITION OF NANOWIRES AND OTHER NANOSCALE OBJECTS ON SURFACES

摘要

The present invention generally relates to the deposition of nanowires and other nanoparticles on surfaces. According to one aspect of the invention, a fluid containing nanoscale objects, such as nanowires, is deposited on a surface having one or more relatively hydrophilic regions and one or more relatively hydrophobic regions. If the fluid is hydrophilic, it will preferentially be located in the relatively hydrophilic regions (or vice versa if the fluid is relatively hydrophobic). The fluid is then allowed to evaporate to cause the nanoscale objects to deposit. For instance, the rate of evaporation may be controlled so as to allow the nanoscale objects to substantially deposit at the centers of the regions and/or at a rate that causes the nanoscale objects to become substantially aligned. In some cases, the regions may be relatively small, e.g., having a minimum surface dimension of less than about 3000 nm. In one set of embodiments, one or more cylindrical droplets may be formed on the surface. For example, the surface may contain a relatively hydrophilic region, having a large surface aspect ratio, surrounded by a relatively hydrophobic region, such that an aqueous fluid deposited on the relatively hydrophilic region forms a cylindrical droplet. Other aspects of the present invention are directed to methods for creating and using such articles, methods for promoting such articles, or the like.