The present invention provides a method to manufacture nanowires. In various embodiments, a method is provided for producing an oxidized non-zinc metal layer as a heterogeneous seed layer on arbitrary substrate for controlled nanowire growth is disclosed which comprises depositing a metal layer at low temperature on a substrate, oxidizing the metal layer in air ambient or in oxidizing agent, and growing nanowires at low temperatures on oxidized metal layers on virtually any substrate.

A method for homogenizing the height of a plurality of wires from the plurality of wires erected on a face of a substrate, the method including a first step of coating the face of the substrate including the plurality of wires with a first film, the first film embedding the plurality of wires over a first height; a second step of coating the first film with a second film, the second film embedding at least one part of the plurality of wires over a second height; a step of removing the second film, the part of the wires of the plurality of wires embedded in the second film being removed at the same time as the second film, a mechanical stress between the first film and the second film being exerted during the removal step.

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.

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, systems, and devices are described which facilitate mechanosynthesis through the sequential use of a plurality of tips, each of which may have a different affinity for feedstock, thereby allowing tip to tip transfers which enhance system versatility and reduce equipment complexity.

A method of making a thin film substrate involves exposing carbon nanostructures to a crosslinker to crosslink the carbon nanostructures. The crosslinked carbon nanostructures are recovered and disposed on a support substrate. A thin film substrate includes crosslinked carbon nanostructures on a support substrate. The crosslinked carbon nanostructures have a crosslinker between the carbon nanostructures. A method of performing surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) on a SERS-active analyte involves providing a SERS-active analyte on such a thin film substrate, exposing the thin film substrate to Raman scattering, and detecting the SERS-active analyte.

Disclosed herein are methods for forming carbon-modified nanostructured titanium-based materials, nanostructured electrodes, and nanostructured catalysts. Also disclosed herein are methods of use of the carbon-modified nanostructured titanium-based materials, nanostructured electrodes and nanostructured catalysts described herein.

A nanoelectronics structure is disclosed which includes a substrate layer which has least a first surface and also has a thickness of less than 100 nm. The nanoelectronics structure also includes a dielectric layer, which is deposited on the first surface of the substrate layer and has a thickness of less than 100 nm. This dielectric layer is made up of at least 90 mole percent amorphous boron nitride. Also disclosed is a method for forming a dielectric layer on a substrate using pulsed laser deposition.

Methods, systems, and devices are described which facilitate mechanosynthesis through the sequential use of a plurality of tips, each of which may have a different affinity for feedstock, thereby allowing tip to tip transfers which enhance system versatility and reduce equipment complexity.