Self assembled nanoparticle wires by discontinuous vertical colloidal deposition

We report a simple, one-step method for assembling spherical nanoparticles into wires without the need for lithographic templating. It is effective for a variety of conducting and nonconducting nanoparticles and substrates, and the only material requirement is that the nanoparticles be placed in a colloidal suspension that is wettable on the desired substrate. The shape of the meniscus defines the wire's geometry, and we report the synthesis and physical properties of wires several millimeters long by a few micrometers wide. As we demonstrate here, the technique is fast and easily controlled, and can be used to make integrated nanoparticle wire arrays. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.