Facile fabrication of a superhydrophobic cage by laser direct writing for site-specific colloidal self-assembled photonic crystal

Electrically Controlled Enrichment of Analyte for Ultrasensitive SERS-Based Plasmonic Sensors

Recently, sensors using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detectors combined with superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic analyte concentration systems showed the ability to reach detection limits below the femto-molar level. However, a further increase in the sensitivity of these sensors is limited by the impossibility of the concentration systems to deposit the analyte on an area of less than 0.01 mm². This article proposes a fundamentally new approach to the analyte enrichment, based on the effect of non-uniform electrostatic field on the evaporating droplet. This approach, combined with the optimized geometry of a superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic concentration system allows more than a six-fold reduction of the deposition area. Potentially, this makes it possible to improve the detection limit of the plasmonic sensors by the same factor, bringing it down to the attomolar level.

Making Photonic Crystals via Evaporation of Nanoparticle-Laden Droplets on Superhydrophobic Microstructures

We employed a convenient evaporation approach to fabricate photonic crystals by naturally drying droplets laden with nanoparticles on a superhydrophobic surface. The final drying morphology could be controlled by the concentration of nanoparticles. A dilute droplet resulted in a torus, whereas a quasi-spherical cap with a bottom cavity was made from a concentrated droplet. Remarkably, the nanofluid droplets maintained high contact angles (≳120°) during the entire evaporation process because of inhomogeneous surface wetting. Bottom-view snapshots revealed that during evaporation the color of the contact area changed sequentially from white to red, orange, yellow, and eventually to green. Scanning electron microscopy and Voronoi analysis demonstrated that nanoparticles were self-assembled to a hexagonal pattern. Finally, based on the effects of particle size, material, and volume concentration on the reflected wavelengths, a model has been developed to successfully predict the reflected wavelength peaks from the contact area of evaporating colloidal droplets. Our model can be easily adopted as a manufacturing guide for functional photonic crystals to predict the optimal reflected color made by evaporation-driven self-assembly of photonic crystals.

Ultrasensitive SERS-Based Plasmonic Sensor with Analyte Enrichment System Produced by Direct Laser Writing

We report an easy-to-implement device for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based detection of various analytes dissolved in water droplets at trace concentrations. The device combines an analyte-enrichment system and SERS-active sensor site, both produced via inexpensive and high-performance direct femtosecond (fs)-laser printing. Fabricated on a surface of water-repellent polytetrafluoroethylene substrate as an arrangement of micropillars, the analyte-enrichment system supports evaporating water droplet in the Cassie-Baxter superhydrophobic state, thus ensuring delivery of the dissolved analyte molecules towards the hydrophilic SERS-active site. The efficient pre-concentration of the analyte onto the sensor site based on densely arranged spiky plasmonic nanotextures results in its subsequent label-free identification by means of SERS spectroscopy. Using the proposed device, we demonstrate reliable SERS-based fingerprinting of various analytes, including common organic dyes and medical drugs at ppb concentrations. The proposed device is believed to find applications in various areas, including label-free environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, and forensics.

On-demand concentration of an analyte on laser-printed polytetrafluoroethylene

Controllable targeted deposition of an analyte dissolved in a liquid drop evaporating on a superhydrophobic surface has recently emerged as a promising concentrator approach with various applications ranging from ultrasensitive bioidentification to DNA molecule sorting. Here, we demonstrate that surface textures with non-uniform wettability fabricated using direct easy-to-implement femtosecond-pulse filament-assisted ablation of polytetrafluoroethylene substrates can be used to concentrate and deposit an analyte at a designated location out of a water droplet. The proposed surface textures contain a central superhydrophilic trap surrounded by superhydrophobic periodically arranged pillars with a hierarchical roughness. By optimizing the arrangement and geometry of the central trap and the surrounding superhydrophobic textures, the analyte dissolved in a 5 μL water drop was fixed onto a 90 × 90 μm² target. The proposed textures provide a concentration factor of 10³, an order of magnitude higher than those for the previously reported surface textures. This promising ultrasensitive versatile platform allows the detection of fingerprints of the deposited analyte via surface-enhanced spectroscopy techniques (Raman scattering or photoluminescence) at an estimated detection threshold better than 10^-15 mol L^-1.

Scalable Nanomanufacturing—A Review

This article describes the field of scalable nanomanufacturing, its importance and need, its research activities and achievements. The National Science Foundation is taking a leading role in fostering basic research in scalable nanomanufacturing (SNM). From this effort several novel nanomanufacturing approaches have been proposed, studied and demonstrated, including scalable nanopatterning. This paper will discuss SNM research areas in materials, processes and applications, scale-up methods with project examples, and manufacturing challenges that need to be addressed to move nanotechnology discoveries closer to the marketplace.

Biomimetic superwettable materials with structural colours

This review aims at offering a comprehension elaboration of the mechanism, recent biomimetic research and applications of biomimetic superwettable materials with structural colours. Futhermore, this review will provide significant insight into the design, fabrication and application of biomimetic superwettable materials with structural colours.

Laser Printing of Superhydrophobic Patterns from Mixtures of Hydrophobic Silica Nanoparticles and Toner Powder

In this work, a new and facile dry printing method was developed for the direct fabrication of superhydrophobic patterns based on silica nanoparticles. Mixtures of hydrophobic fumed silica nanoparticles and toner powder were printed on paper and polymer sheets using a commercial laser printer to produce the superhydrophobic patterns. The mixing ratio of the toner powder (for the laser printer) to hydrophobic silica was also investigated to optimize both the printing quality and the superhydrophobicity of the printed areas. The proper mixing ratio was then used to print various superhydrophobic patterns, including triangular, square, circular, and complex arrangements, to demonstrate that superhydrophobic surfaces with different patterns can be fabricated in a few seconds without any post-processing. The superhydrophobicity of each sample was evaluated by contact angle measurements, and all printed areas showed contact angles greater than 150°. The research described here opens the possibility of rapid production of superhydrophobic surfaces with various patterns. Ultimately, the obtained findings may have a significant impact on applications related to self-cleaning, control of water geometry and position, fluid mixing and fluid transport.