Seminarium Fizyki Materii Skondensowanej

One-dimensional conductive particle assembly holds promise for a variety of practical applications, in particular for a new generation of electronic devices. However, synthesis of such chains with programmable shapes outside a liquid environment has proven difficult. A route to simply 'pull' flexible granular and colloidal chains out of a dispersion by combining field-directed assembly and capillary effects will be reported. These chains are automatically stabilized by liquid bridges formed between adjacent particles, without the need for continuous energy input or special particle functionalization. They can further be deposited onto any surface and form desired conductive patterns, potentially applicable to the manufacturing of simple electronic circuits.