The purpose of this study was to develop a selective patterning process with functional nanoparticles, using the selective hydrophobic treatment which can give surface energy differences. It is important to selectively pattern the nanoparticles in solution, to the desired site in a variety of fields such as transparent electrodes, displays, and bio-sensors. Selective hydrophobic treatment can reduce the additional post processes such as cleaning to remove particles unwanted position, which is a drawback of the existing solution process. Various patterns with sub-micron size that can’t be achieved with other solution processes could be fabricated by nanoimprint lithography, selective surface treatment, and a solution coating process. The transparent conductive electrode (TCE) using silver mesh patterns on the flexible substrate created from our study showed 24 Ω of sheet resistance and more than 82% transmittance. To verify the possibility of nano-patterning of various materials, quantum dot (QD) was also patterned by selectively filling. Selective surface treatment technology has significantly improved the filling process of nanoparticles into fine patterns less than 1 μm wide.

Precise fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) self-standing microstructures on thin glass plates via two-photon induced polymerization (TPP) has been an important issue for innovative 3D nanodevices and microdevices. However, there are still issues remaining to be solved, such as building 3D microstructures on opaque materials via TPP and being able to implant them as functional parts onto practical systems. To settle these issues simply and effectively, we propose a contact print lithography (CPL) method using an ultraviolet (UV)-curable polymer layer. We report some of the possibilities and potential of CPL by presenting our results for transplanting 3D microstructures onto large-area substrates and also our examination of some of the effects of the process parameters on successful transplantation.