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Preparation of spherical, ordered colloidal aggregates using inkjet printing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2012

Enrico Sowade,
Thomas Blaudeck and
Reinhard R. Baumann
Enrico Sowade
Affiliation:
Institute for Print and Media Technology, Digital Printing and Imaging Technology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany.
Thomas Blaudeck
Affiliation:
Institute for Print and Media Technology, Digital Printing and Imaging Technology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany.Center for Microtechnologies, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany.
Reinhard R. Baumann
Affiliation:
Institute for Print and Media Technology, Digital Printing and Imaging Technology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany.Printed Functionalities, Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems (ENAS), Chemnitz, Germany.
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Abstract

In this paper we report about combining inkjet printing technology and self-assembly as a scalable manufacturing tool for spherical, well-ordered aggregates. The aggregates consist of a high number of ordered colloidal nanospheres arranged as ball-shaped structures. Applying inkjet printing based on the principle of droplet ejection the spherical aggregates can be deposited on various surfaces in dry environment and under ambient conditions. The aggregation of the nanospheres is independent of the surface energy of the substrate leading to the assumption that the main part of the assembly and aggregation process takes place in-flight [1].

By applying inkjet printing with an adapted control signal, small droplets of a water-based ink formulation containing monodisperse polystyrene nanoparticles are ejected out of the inkjet nozzles. The ejected droplets serve as a confined geometry for the nanospheres in the carrier liquid during evaporation. As a result, the particles form stable ball-shaped aggregates with hexagonal order. Due to the in-flight self-assembly of the nanospheres, our approach is suitable for any solid surface in dry environment and allows the deposition of the ball-shaped aggregates in appropriate patterns.

Keywords

nanostructureink-jet printingself-assembly

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References

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