Fountain Pen-Inspired 3D Colloidal Assembly, Consisting of Metallic Nanoparticles on a Femtoliter Scale

The 3D colloidal assemblies composed of nanoparticles (NPs) are closely associated with optical properties such as photonic crystals, localized surface plasmon resonance, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering. However, research on their fabrication remains insufficient. Here, the femtoliter volume of a 3D colloidal assembly is shown, using the evaporation of a fine fountain pen. A nano-fountain pen (NPF) with a micrometer-level tip inner diameter was adopted for the fine evaporation control of the ink solvent. The picoliters of the evaporation occurring at the NFP tip and femtoliter volume of the 3D colloidal assembly were analyzed using a diffusion equation. The shape of the 3D colloidal assembly was dependent on the evaporation regarding the accumulation time and tip size, and they exhibited random close packing. Using gold-, silver-, and platinum-NPs and mixing ratios of them, diverse 3D colloidal assemblies were formed. The spectra regarding a localized surface plasmon resonance of them were changed according to composition and mixing ratio. We expect that this could be widely applied as a simple fabrication tool in order to explore complex metamaterials constructed of nanoparticles, as this method is highly flexible in varying the shape as well as composition ratio of self-assembled structures.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates a method to control the shape and optical properties of 3D colloidal assemblies composed of nanoparticles through the evaporation of an ink solution using a nano-fountain pen. The formed assemblies exhibit different surface plasmon resonance spectra depending on the composition and mixing ratio of gold, silver, and platinum nanoparticles. This method has the potential to be a simple and flexible fabrication tool for exploring complex metamaterials.