Surface nanofabrication beyond optical diffraction limit: Optical driven assembly enabled by superlubricity

The optical manipulation of nanoparticles on superlubricity surfaces was investigated. The research revealed that, due to the near-zero static friction and extremely low dynamic friction at superlubricity interfaces, the maximum intensity for controlling the optical field can be less than 100 W/cm². The controlled nanoparticle radius can be as small as 5 nm, which is more than one order of magnitude smaller than that of nanoparticles controlled through traditional optical manipulation. Manipulation can be achieved on sub-microsecond to microsecond timescales. Furthermore, the manipulation takes place on solid surfaces and in nonliquid environments, with minimal impact from Brownian motion. By appropriately increasing the dynamic friction, controlling the light intensity, or reducing the pressure, the effects of Brownian motion can be eliminated, allowing for the construction of microstructures with a size as small as 1/75 of the wavelength of light while controlling the light intensity, which is seven orders of magnitude smaller compared to manipulating nanoparticles on traditional surfaces. This enables the control of super-resolution optical microstructures. The optical super-resolution manipulation of nanoparticles on superlubricity surfaces has important applications in fields such as nanofabrication, photolithography, optical metasurfaces, and biochemical analysis.