Three-dimensional aerosol nanoprinting

Abstract

Taking advantage of continuous, atmospheric, dry, and high-purity aerosol processes, we have developed the three-dimensional (3D) aerosol nanoprinting technique. Precise manipulation of charged aerosol trajectories was realized by controlling the electric field near the substrate with nanoscale resolution to position aerosols in the exact three-dimensional space for finally manufacturing 3D nanostructures in an array form under atmospheric conditions. In our aerosol printing technique, the charged aerosol is a fundamental building block and the electric field line is a drawing tool to print the aerosol. Here, we review how our 3D aerosol nanoprinting technology has been developed and show the importance of aerosol science in controlling the generation of charged aerosols, surface charging, particle motion under Brownian random force, electrical force, inertial force, drag force, and also particle agglomeration for ensuring small and non-agglomerated nanoscale building blocks. We also present possible applications utilizing 3D nanostructures fabricated by our 3D aerosol nanoprinting technique.