Top-down Approaches Top-down approaches involve breaking down bulk materials into nanoscale particles. Common methods include:
- Lithography: This involves using a light-sensitive material to create patterns at the nanoscale. It's widely used in the fabrication of nanoelectronics. - Milling: Mechanical milling or grinding can reduce particle size to the nanoscale, often used in material science.
Bottom-up Approaches Bottom-up approaches involve assembling nanomaterials from atomic or molecular precursors. These methods include:
- Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD): A process that deposits a thin film of material onto a substrate through chemical reactions of vapor-phase precursors. - Sol-Gel Process: A wet-chemical technique that produces nanomaterials through the transition of a solution (sol) into a solid (gel).
