Formation of Uniform Wide-area Pattern by Applying Ceramic Suspension to Micromolding in Capillaries (MIMIC) Method

Abstract

This review focuses on our results on the fabrication of large-area patterning of tin oxide suspensions by the “micromolding in capillary” (MIMIC) method, one of the soft lithography techniques. Usually, suspensions with high solid loadings have been experimented, but since the filling mechanism of the MIMIC method is capillary action, the viscosity increases during the process, resulting in a smaller patterning area. We have confirmed that a low solids ethanol suspension of tin oxide nanoparticle can be used to achieve large-area patterning, forming a stripe pattern with a thickness of almost 1/3 the depth of the mold channel, resulting in a dense structure. Confirming the patterning mechanism, we found that controlling solvent evaporation during the process was very effective. It is expected that this MIMIC process for low solids loading suspensions of nanoparticles will be widely deployed for other types of ceramic suspensions.