Direct Patterning of Functional Materials via Atmospheric-Pressure Ion Deposition

Interest in thin films of functional materials has increased enormously in recent years because of the wide range of possible applications. Here we report an experimental setup we have termed Atmospheric-Pressure Ion Deposition (APID) as a novel technique that allows highly controllable and soft processing of various materials (e.g. polymers, bio molecules and inorganic materials) into thin and ultrathin structured films. The technique is based on an electrospray process. Microdroplets are initially formed and dried, generating ions that are extracted by electrostatic lenses. Thin structured films are then produced by the deposition of the resulting ion beam onto a moveable target. The technique offers several interesting features, including precise control of film thicknesses. Experiments investigating structured deposition of various kinds of functional materials are reported. This might provide a simple approach creating thin structured films and composites that are currently unattainable.