Controllable Patterning Nanoparticles via Solution Transfer Processes

Solution processes have been widely used in controllable patterning of zero-dimensional nanoparticles at certain substrate due to its advantageous of mild conditions, low-cost fabrication and good device compatibility. Preparing high-quality micro-patterns is very important for realizing high-performance devices. However, the solution processes normally involve both the coffee ring effect and Marangoni flow caused by the solvent evaporation, which make precisely patterning nanoparticles hardly to proceed in a controllable manner, leading to nonuniform micro-patterns. Therefore, various approaches have been developed to solve the adverse effects of the coffee ring during the film-forming process. In this contribution, we reviewed recent processes on controllable patterning nanoparticle using solution transfer approaches either by taking advantageous of or by inhibiting the coffee ring effect, as well as the involved mechanism and the applications in various fields.