Graph Theory Guided Template-Free Printing of Nanoparticle Films

Coating techniques like meniscus-guided printing are well-known for the application of polymer films. The ability to control orientation and thickness of material along with the ease of scaling have made it a low cost and effective process for producing materials, which despite their imperfect ordering, possess useful properties. This research investigates the use of meniscus-guided printing for the simultaneous self-assembly and deposition of anisotropic metal nanoparticles, in particular gold nanorods. By varying substrate and solution parameters it is possible to produce 2d materials with tunable optical, mechanical and electrical properties. These materials have varying levels of order and complexity on multiple scales yielding structure related properties difficult to predict using traditional models. To understand these properties, it is necessary to utilize a new method that looks beyond physical features and instead examines structures by mathematical means. By incorporating graph theory into our analysis, it is possible to connect structure to material property regardless of order or complexity and to predict how changing parameters will affect the qualities of new assemblies.