Improved methods, systems and devices for mechanosynthesis, including those that involve the bulk chemical preparation of tips, multiple tips on a presentation surface, and multiple tips used sequentially in a thermodynamic cascade. These improvements can simplify starting requirements, improve versatility, and reduce equipment and process complexity.

Disclosed are a method and a device for transferring a nanoparticle monolayer by using a capillary tube, wherein a nanoparticle monolayer present in a liquid-gas interface is locally and selectively separated and then transferred to a substrate by using a capillary tube. Accordingly, nondestructive and reproducible transfer can be made regardless of the surficial properties and structures of the substrate to which the monolayer is to be transferred. Therefore, the method and the device enable an in-situ high-speed inspection of harmful materials, such as an illegal drug and a residual pesticide, on surfaces of various solids such as fiber clothes, food and banknotes, and can be easily coupled to a microfluid channel having a small size and a complicated structure. Further, the method and the device can transfer a nanoparticle monolayer in a simple and inexpensive process without using special and expensive equipment.

The invention relates to the production of carbon nanomaterials, for example graphene, and can be used to produce graphene for use in nanoelectronics.

Graphene is produced by stratifying graphite particles, differing in that graphite particles undergo electrodynamic fluidization in a vacuum in which the energy of the graphite particles exceeds the work necessary for their cleavage along the cleavage planes on graphene layers during brittle fracture when striking against the electrodes.

The method makes it possible to obtain graphene with high productivity, economy and purity of the product.

Devices, systems and techniques are described for producing and implementing articles and materials having nanoscale and microscale structures that exhibit superhydrophobic, superoleophobic or omniphobic surface properties and other enhanced properties. In one aspect, a surface nanostructure can be formed by adding a silicon-containing buffer layer such as silicon, silicon oxide or silicon nitride layer, followed by metal film deposition and heating to convert the metal film into balled-up, discrete islands to form an etch mask. The buffer layer can be etched using the etch mask to create an array of pillar structures underneath the etch mask, in which the pillar structures have a shape that includes cylinders, negatively tapered rods, or cones and are vertically aligned. In another aspect, a method of fabricating microscale or nanoscale polymer or metal structures on a substrate is made by photolithography and/or nano imprinting lithography.

In an example of a three-dimensional printing method, a polymeric build material is applied. A fusing agent is selectively applied on at least a portion of the polymeric build material. The fusing agent includes cesium tungsten oxide nanoparticles, a zwitterionic stabilizer, and an aqueous vehicle. The polymeric build material is exposed to electromagnetic radiation to fuse the portion of the polymeric build material in contact with the fusing agent to form a layer.

Described herein are metallic excavated nanoframes and methods for producing metallic excavated nanoframes. A method may include providing a solution including a plurality of excavated nanoparticles dispersed in a solvent, and exposing the solution to chemical corrosion to convert the plurality of excavated nanoparticles into a plurality of excavated nanoframes.

Methods are provided for manufacturing well-controlled, solid-state nanopores in close proximity and arrays thereof. In one embodiment, a plurality of wells and one or more channels are formed in a substrate. Each of the wells is adjacent a channel. A portion of a sidewall of each well is exposed. The portion of exposed sidewall is nearest to the adjacent channel. The portion of the exposed sidewall of each well is laterally etched towards the adjacent channel. A nanopore is formed connecting the wells to an adjacent channel.

A method is provided for manufacturing pigments of defined size and shape, and to pigments manufactured accordingly. The method has the steps of: a) producing a three-dimensional surface structure on a substrate, where surface regions are formed each having a gradient extending obliquely to a base level of the surface structure, and are arranged in columns which are offset relative to one another; b) applying a pigment material layer on the surface structure; c) releasing the pigment material layer from the surface structure and producing pigments.

Devices, systems and techniques are described for producing and implementing articles and materials having nanoscale and microscale structures that exhibit superhydrophobic, superoleophobic or omniphobic surface properties and other enhanced properties. In one aspect, a surface nanostructure can be formed by adding a silicon-containing buffer layer such as silicon, silicon oxide or silicon nitride layer, followed by metal film deposition and heating to convert the metal film into balled-up, discrete islands to form an etch mask. The buffer layer can be etched using the etch mask to create an array of pillar structures underneath the etch mask, in which the pillar structures have a shape that includes cylinders, negatively tapered rods, or cones and are vertically aligned. In another aspect, a method of fabricating microscale or nanoscale polymer or metal structures on a substrate is made by photolithography and/or nano imprinting lithography.

Provided are nanograting structures and methods of fabrication thereof that allow for stable, robust gratings and nanostructure embedded gratings that enhance electromagnetic field, fluorescence, and photothermal coupling through surface plasmon or, photonic resonance. The gratings produced exhibit long term stability of the grating structure and improved shelf life without degradation of the properties such as fluorescence enhancement. Embodiments of the invention build nanograting structures layer-by-layer to optimize structural and optical properties and to enhance durability.