Deposition of carbon nanoparticles using optically induced dielectrophoretic force

A new method which allows assembly of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) into predesigned patterns by using optically induced dielectrophoretic (ODEP) force is presented in this study. Theoretical analysis of ODEP working principle and operational regimes are investigated. Moreover, experimental parameters including AC frequency and solution conductivity are optimized for manipulating micro/nano particles. Finally, experimental results clearly demonstrate that CNP patterns and arrays with arbitrary geometry (including a 16×16 array covering an area of 0.4×0.4 mm²) can be successfully realized. Our results proved that ODEP is a highly-effective, low-cost, reconfigurable, and parallel manipulating approach for potential applications in fabricating CNPs sensors and micro-printing.