Meniscus-controlled continuous fabrication of arrays and rolls of extremely long micro- And nano-fibers

An economically-viable alternative for the direct-write manufacturing of nanofibers that exploits the concept of simple formation and fast evaporation of nanoscale liquid meniscus to confine and sustain the fast and continuous growth of nanofibers of unlimited length in an ambient environment with low humidity, was reported. A variety of ink materials or their combinations were accessible for the demonstration process. Freestanding nanofibers made of packed quantum dots from a non-aqueous quantum dots was also studied. A straight nanofiber having a diameter of δ100 nm and a length of up to 16 mm was drawn in this study. A precision spinning process was developed to draw even longer nanofibers, where a shaft driven with an electric geared motor was used to simultaneously draw and wind a nanofiber. The suspended nanofibers showed enough mechanical strength to withstand the perturbation expected during the sample handling and even the sputter-coating processes.