Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Hossein Sojoudi

Anastasios John Hart

Karen K Gleason

Sanha Kim

Methods of printing nanoparticulate ink using nanoporous print stamps are disclosed. A nanoporous print stamp can include a substrate, a patterned arrangement of carbon nanotubes disposed on the substrate, and a secondary material disposed on the carbon nanotubes to reduce capillary-induced deformation of the patterned arrangement of carbon nanotubes when printing nanoparticulate ink. Some methods include loading a nanoporous print stamp with nanoparticulate colloidal ink such that the nanoparticulate colloidal ink is drawn into microstructures of the patterned arrangement of carbon nanotubes via capillary wicking. Nanoparticulate colloidal ink can include nanoparticles dispersed in a solution. The method also includes contacting a nanoporous stamp to a target substrate to form nanoscale contact points between the target substrate and the patterned arrangement of carbon nanotubes of the nanoporous print stamp so that nanoparticulate colloidal ink is drawn out of the nanoporous print stamp and onto the target substrate to form a pattern.

Nanoporous stamp printing of nanoparticulate inks

A nanoporous stamp for printing a variety of materials is disclosed. The nanoporous stamp may include a substrate and an array of carbon nanotubes disposed on and attached to the substrate. The array of carbon nanotubes can have an etched top surface and a wettable, nanoporous structure, and may include a coating thereon. The nanoporous stamp can be used in a variety of printing applications, and can print, among other things, colloidal and non-colloidal inks on a variety of substrates with a high degree of accuracy and fidelity.

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Medford, MA, United States of America

Hossein Sojoudi