A Novel Automated System for Assembling Films of Nanoparticles

Due to their interesting properties, nanoparticle films have emerged as useful platforms for miniaturized chemical sensing. For nanoparticle sensors to become practical in real world applications, a reproducible method of assembly has to be implemented. This project focuses on robotic assembly techniques that deposit nanoparticle films on various substrates. We have developed a process to iteratively assemble and electronically characterize nanoparticle films using a custom robotic preparation system. The robot's design uses commercially available pneumatic and electronic actuators, valves and regulators to manage precision movements. Control of the robot is obtained by a custom Labview program which uses a TTL and GPIB interface to control relays, power supplies, and measurement circuitry. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.