Towards Large-Scale Fabrication of Plasmonic Nanomaterials by Fluid-Mediated Forces

Abstract

Nano-assembly promises powerful technological advances, yet there is a persistent need to make such assembly more economical before we see these benefits in daily life. Scalable and reliable nano-assembly of any kind has remained elusive to researchers worldwide. This thesis focuses on Capillary Force-assisted Assembly (CFA), particularly for plasmonic structures and materials. CFA assembles nanoparticles out of solution via liquid-mediated forces over a nano-template. It is significantly cheaper and faster than standard nano-fabrication routes. CFA-assembled optical plasmonic materials have not been demonstrated over sizes larger than square-micrometers. An early goal of this work is to de..