Transfer printing of sub-100 nm nanoparticles by soft lithography with solvent mediation

In this paper we present an alternative approach to transfer-print controlled arrays of sub-100 nm gold nanoparticles onto a substrate with high placement accuracy. First, the assembly of gold nanoparticles is achieved on a topologically nanopatterned polydimethylsiloxane stamp through a convective and capillary assembly technique. Second, the dry particles assembly is subsequently printed from the plate onto plane substrates by contact through a thin film of liquid. We demonstrate that microcontact printing can be performed with solvent mediation for a high precision transfer of sub-100 nm individual particles and we discuss the most appropriate solvent. The transferred particles preserve their organization and physical properties.