Showcase of nanojoining research

Background information

Nanojoining is a leading method of nanofabrication. As a versatile assembling method competitive to the self-organization in the bottom-up growth and up-bottom lithography, nanojoining is very promising to fabricate 3D practical nanodevices with complicated structures and different building blocks.

To date, numerous joining methods, like, nanowelding, nanosoldering, and nano interconnection, have been invented. Our research aims to develop practical interconnection and construction technologies of nano-mechatronics and molecular devices. Furthermore, based on such a nanojoining prototype nanodevices with distinguishable properties, the superior sensitivity, high integration and low energy cost will be fabricated.

Objectives

1. To optimize the vacuum brazing process of carbon nanotube bundles for large current applications
2. To develop ultrafast welding of Ag/Au nanoparticles for single molecule Raman probes and low-temperature nanosoldering of flexible electronics

Equipment

1. Wet chemical work station
2. High temperature furnaces
3. Autoclave reactor, spin coating
4. Femtosecond laser system (collaboration with department of physics and astronomy)
5. Nd:YAG laser system
6. Microbeam X-ray diffractometer
7. Nano-indentation

Results/findings

We have achieved important progresses on the following fields:

1. Welded Au nanoparticles for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy
2. Vacuum brazing carbon nanotube bundles as the energy-saved filament for incandescent lamps
3. Aquatic approaches for growing large area ZnO nanowire arrays and gramme-level TiO₂ membrane

Pictures/figures