Controllable assembly of silver nanoparticles induced by femtosecond laser direct writing

• Main Authors: Huan Wang, Sen Liu, Yong-Lai Zhang, Jian-Nan Wang, Lei Wang, Hong Xia, Qi-Dai Chen, Hong Ding, Hong-Bo Sun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2015-04-01
• Series: Science and Technology of Advanced Materials
• Subjects: silver nanoparticles; femtosecond laser direct writing; patterning
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1468-6996/16/2/024805

We report controllable assembly of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) for patterning of silver microstructures. The assembly is induced by femtosecond laser direct writing (FsLDW). A tightly focused femtosecond laser beam is capable of trapping and driving Ag NPs to form desired micropatterns with a high resolution of ∼190 nm. Taking advantage of the ‘direct writing’ feature, three microelectrodes have been integrated with a microfluidic chip; two silver-based microdevices including a microheater and a catalytic reactor have been fabricated inside a microfluidic channel for chip functionalization. The FsLDW-induced programmable assembly of Ag NPs may open up a new way to the designable patterning of silver microstructures toward flexible fabrication and integration of functional devices.