Unconventional tailorable patterning by solvent-assisted surface-tension-driven lithography

Unconventional nanopatterning methods are emerging as powerful tools for the development of controlled shapes and ordered morphology of nanostructured materials with novel properties and tailorable functions. Here, we report a simple yet straightforward and efficient approach for patterning through unconventional dewetting that involves surface tension driven process. Using this innovative approach, we have successfully demonstrated to be able to prepare surface micro-patterns over large areas deposited through Eu(3+):TiO2 nanoparticles providing rational control over the local nucleation of nanoparticles. Remarkably, these features could be addressed by polar or apolar solvents, suggesting potential applications in bottom-up nanodevices. This paper represents the first such attempt to create an inorganic materials non-lithographic template for the directed deposition of Eu(3+):TiO2 or related metal oxides. The technique, which is driven by the unique chemical properties and geometrical layout of the underlying patterned micrometer-sized templates, enables the construction of micro- and nano-structuration of dispersed inorganic functional materials suitable for electrooptical and photonic applications.