Methods of manipulating particles on solid substrates via optothermally-gated photon nudging

1. A method comprising:

illuminating a first location of an optothermal system with electromagnetic radiation, wherein the optothermal system comprises:

a substrate having a first surface;

a surfactant layer disposed on the first surface of the substrate, wherein the surfactant layer is a solid thin film; and

a first particle disposed on the surfactant layer, such that the surfactant layer is between the first particle and the first surface of the substrate;

wherein the first particle is a first optothermal particle, the substrate is an optothermal substrate, or a combination thereof;

wherein:

when the first particle is the first optothermal particle, then the first optothermal particle is in thermal contact with the surfactant layer; and

when the substrate is the optothermal substrate, then the optothermal substrate is in thermal contact with the surfactant layer;

wherein the first location of the optothermal system includes at least a portion of the first particle such that:

the first particle scatters at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation, thereby producing a first radiation-pressure force on the first particle; and

when the first particle is the first optothermal particle, the first optothermal particle converts at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into thermal energy;

wherein, when the substrate is the optothermal substrate, the optothermal substrate converts at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into thermal energy; and

wherein the thermal energy converted by the first optothermal particle, the optothermal substrate, or a combination thereof is sufficient to generate a manipulation region at a location of the surfactant layer proximate to the first location of the optothermal system;

thereby:

generating the manipulation region at the location of the surfactant layer proximate to the first location of the optothermal system, wherein the manipulation region has a temperature sufficient to induce a first-order phase transition from a solid phase to a liquid or quasi-liquid phase in the portion of the surfactant layer within the manipulation region;

inducing the first-order phase transition in the portion of the surfactant layer within the manipulation region;

producing the first radiation-pressure force on the first particle, wherein the first radiation-pressure force is sufficient to translate the first particle from a first location within the manipulation region to a second location within the manipulation region; and

translating the first particle from the first location within the manipulation region to the second location within the manipulation region.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises glass, quartz, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, a polymer, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises the optothermal substrate and the optothermal substrate comprises a plasmonic substrate, a metal substrate, a dielectric substrate, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises the optothermal substrate and the optothermal substrate comprises a plasmonic substrate and the electromagnetic radiation comprises a wavelength that overlaps with at least a portion of the plasmon resonance energy of the plasmonic substrate such that the manipulation region is generated by plasmon-enhanced photothermal effects.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first particle comprises a metal particle, a semiconductor particle, an inorganic particle, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first particle comprises a semiconductor particle, the semiconductor particle comprising a semiconductor selected from the group consisting of GeAs, GaAs, TiO 2 , Si, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first particle comprises an inorganic particle comprising an inorganic perovskite.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first particle comprises an inorganic particle comprising barium titanate, titanium nitride, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first particle comprises the first optothermal particle and the first optothermal particle comprises a plasmonic particle and the electromagnetic radiation comprises a wavelength that overlaps with at least a portion of the plasmon resonance energy of the plasmonic particle such that the manipulation region is generated by plasmon-enhanced photothermal effects.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation has: a power density of from 0.1 mW/μm 2 to 15 mW/μm 2 ; a power of from 0.1 mW to 5 mW; or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant layer comprises cetrimonium bromide (CTAB), cetrimonium chloride (CTAC), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant layer has an average thickness of from 10 nm to 500 nm.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first particle is not damaged during the method.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

illuminating a third location of the optothermal system with electromagnetic radiation, wherein the optothermal system further comprises:

a second particle disposed on the surfactant layer, such that the surfactant layer is between the second particle and the first surface of the substrate;

wherein the second particle is a second optothermal particle, the substrate is the optothermal substrate, or a combination thereof;

wherein:

when the second particle is the second optothermal particle, then the second optothermal particle is in thermal contact with the surfactant layer; and

when the substrate is the optothermal substrate, the optothermal substrate is in thermal contact with the surfactant layer;

wherein the third location of the optothermal system includes at least a portion of the second particle such that:

the second particle scatters at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation, thereby producing a second radiation-pressure force on the second particle; and

when the second particle is the second optothermal particle, the second optothermal particle converts at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into thermal energy;

wherein, when the substrate is the optothermal substrate, the optothermal substrate converts at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into thermal energy;

wherein the thermal energy converted by the second optothermal particle, the optothermal substrate, or a combination thereof is sufficient to generate a second manipulation region at a location of the surfactant layer proximate to the third location of the optothermal system;

thereby:

generating the second manipulation region at the location of the surfactant layer proximate to the third location of the optothermal system, wherein the second manipulation region has a temperature sufficient to induce the first-order phase transition from the solid phase to the liquid or quasi-liquid phase in the portion of the surfactant layer within the second manipulation region;

inducing the first-order phase transition in the portion of the surfactant layer within the second manipulation region;

producing the second radiation-pressure force on the second particle, wherein the second radiation-pressure force is sufficient to translate the second particle from a first location within the second manipulation region to a second location within the second manipulation region; and

translating the second particle from the first location within the second manipulation region to the second location within the second manipulation region.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

illuminating a third location of the optothermal system with electromagnetic radiation;

wherein the third location of the optothermal system includes at least a portion of the first particle, such that:

the first particle scatters at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation, thereby producing the first radiation-pressure force on the first particle;

wherein, when the first particle is the first optothermal particle, the first optothermal particle converts at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into thermal energy;

wherein, when the substrate is the optothermal substrate, the optothermal substrate converts at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into thermal energy; and

wherein the thermal energy converted by the first optothermal particle, the optothermal substrate, or a combination thereof is sufficient to generate a third manipulation region at a location of the surfactant layer proximate to the third location of the optothermal system;

thereby:

generating the third manipulation region at the location of the surfactant layer proximate to the third location of the optothermal system, wherein the third manipulation region has a temperature sufficient to induce the first-order phase transition from the solid phase to the liquid or quasi-liquid phase in the portion of the surfactant layer within the third manipulation region;

inducing the first-order phase transition in the portion of the surfactant layer within the third manipulation region;

producing the first radiation-pressure force on the first particle, wherein the first radiation-pressure force is sufficient to translate the first particle from a first location within the third manipulation region to a second location within the third manipulation region; and

translating the first particle from the first location within the third manipulation region to the second location within the third manipulation region.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the illumination such that the portion of the surfactant layer within the first manipulation region re-solidifies, thereby forming a patterned optothermal system, and optionally removing the surfactant layer from the patterned optothermal system.