Liquid films containing nanostructured materials

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to liquid films containing nanostructured materials, and, optionally, the use of this arrangement to organize nanostructures and to transfer the nanostructures to a surface. Liquid films containing nanostructures, such as nanoscale wires, can be formed in a gas such as air. By choosing an appropriate liquid, a liquid film can be expanded, for example to form a “bubble” having a diameter of at least about 5 cm or 10 cm. The size of the bubble can be controlled, in some cases, by controlling the viscosity of the liquid film. In some embodiments, the viscosity can be controlled to be between about 15 Pa s and about 25 Pa s, or controlled using a mixture of an aqueous liquid and an epoxy. In some cases, the film of liquid may be contacted with a surface, which can be used to transfer at least some of the nanostructures to the surface. In some cases, the nanostructures may be transferred as an orderly or aligned array. Once on the surface, the nanostructures may be reacted, etched, layered, etc., e.g., for use in an electric circuit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.