No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
The post-synthetic assembly of nanowires into desired configurations presents a unique challenge. Through the use of a microscope we observed the behaviors of different nanowires during the drying of their solutions. In addition, we also viewed the resulting dried patterns on substrates by AFM and SEM. We found that nanowires are deposited and aligned along the contact line. The evaporation-induced capillary flow carries the nanowires to the contact line and their alignment there is due to self-assembly directed by solvent evaporation. Based on our observations, we developed a contact-line-deposition process and successfully assembled aligned nanowires in proper patterns on substrates.