Liquid nanodispensing: a new tool to investigate wetting at sub-micron scale

Ondarçuhu, Thiery

CEMES-CNRS, Nanosciences group, Toulouse, France

A liquid nanodispenser called NADIS was recently developed in answer to the new need of deposition techniques for nanosciences. We use original atomic force microscope (AFM) tips presenting a channel at their apex to transfer liquid from a reservoir droplet - placed onto the cantilever - to the surface by contacting the tip and the substrate. By tuning the tip properties we can control the size of the deposited patterns down to spot sizes with diameters of 70nm [1]. By its ability to manipulate femto- to atto-liter droplets, NADIS is also a unique technique to study unanswered questions on wetting at sub-micron scale, as demonstrated by the studies of capillary forces during dispensing [2], evaporation of femtoliter sessile droplets [3] or spreading dynamics at sub-micron scale [4]. [1] A.Fang, E. Dujardin, T.Ondarçuhu, NanoLett. 6 (2006) 2368. [3] L. Fabié, H. Durou, T. Ondarçuhu, Langmuir 26 (2010) 1870. [4] J. Arcamone, E. Dujardin, G. Rius, F. Pérez-Murano, T. Ondarçuhu, J.Phys.Chem.B 111 (2007) 13020. [5] L. Fabié, T. Ondarçuhu, (2012) 8 (2012) 4995-5001.

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