Precisely positioned nanowhiskers and nanowhisker arrays and method for preparing them

US8790462B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• QUNANO AB · SE

Inventors

• Lars Samuelson · Malmö, SE
• Bjorn Jonas Ohlsson · Malmö, SE
• Thomas Mårtensson · Malmö, SE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 6, 2009
• Grant date: Jul 29, 2014
• Expiry date: Feb 7, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C30B29/605
• WIPO field: Surface technology, coating
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A nanoengineered structure comprising an array of more than about 1000 nanowhiskers on a substrate in a predetermined spatial configuration, for use for example as a photonic band gap array, wherein each nanowhisker is sited within a distance from a predetermined site not greater than about 20% of its distance from its nearest neighbour. To produce the array, an array of masses of a catalytic material are positioned on the surface, heat is applied and materials in gaseous form are introduced such as to create a catalytic seed particle from each mass, and to grow, from the catalytic seed particle, epitaxially, a nanowhisker of a predetermined material, and wherein each mass upon melting, retains approximately the same interface with the substrate surface such that forces causing the mass to migrate across said surface are less than a holding force across a wetted interface on the substrate surface.