Application of dielectrophoresis to fabrication of nanomaterial-based sensors

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is electrokinetic motion of dielectrically polarized materials in non-uniform electric fields. DEP has been successfully applied to manipulation of nanomaterials including CNTs, metallic nanoparticles and semiconducting nanowires. Under positive DEP force, which attracts nanomaterials toward the higher field region, nanomaterials are trapped in the electrode gap and automatically establish good electrical connections between them and the external measuring circuit. This feature allows us a fast, simple and low-cost fabrication of nanomaterial-based sensors based on a bottom-up basis. This paper firstly presents a theoretical background of DEP phenomena and then reviews recent works of the present author, which were aimed to develop nanomaterial-based sensors, such as a carbon nanotube gas sensor and a ZnO nanowire photosensor, using DEP fabrication technique.