Fabricating Highly Organized Nanoparticle Thin Films
Jyrki Korpela Aug 27, ’17 > 2 min

Fabricating Highly Organized Nanoparticle Thin Films

Nanoparticles and thin films made from nanoparticles are gaining recognition and use in various products and applications including displays, sensors and energy storage. These types of products often require well-controlled particle organization, density and film thickness to achieve optimal performance and efficiency.

Langmuir Blodgett Deposition Method

Techniques that enable such control and precision during thin film formation are critically important in the development of new nanoparticle-based materials. The Langmuir-Blodgett deposition method offers a combination of controlled deposition, a wide range of substrates and usability in ambient conditions. In an LB deposition process, a nanoparticle suspension is first deposited at the air/water interface, then, the resulting film is compressed to the desired surface pressure and particle density and then transferred onto a solid substrate by dipping the substrate into and through the particle layer. The deposition can then be repeated to fabricate alternating layer structures or performed at different speeds and temperatures.  

Main benefits of the Langmuir-Blodgett technology

  • Precise control of the monolayer (thin film) thickness and packing density
  • Homogeneous deposition over large areas
  • Enables multilayer structures with varying layer composition
  • Deposition can be made on any kind of solid substrate

Anti-microbial coating is an example of a smart coating that uses silver nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles are known for their anti-microbial properties and can be incorporated in many types of surface layers and coatings.

Watch a recorded webinar to learn more about:  

  • How to reliably prepare for a Langmuir-Blodgett deposition
  • How to trap nanoparticles suspended in a subphase-miscible solvent at the air-water interface
  • How to compress and deposit high quality nanosphere monolayers

Watch recorded webinar  Deposition of highly organized nanoparticle films by Langmuir-Blodgett  Alaric Taylor, EPSRC Research Fellow at UCL