Transfer Printing: Laser-Driven Shape Memory Effect for Transfer Printing Combining Parallelism with Individual Object Control (Adv. Mater. Technol. 7/2016)

Seok Kim and co-workers report in article number 1600098 the development of infrared-absorbing shape memory polymer (SMP) stamps. The selective parallel transfer of micro-scale gold platelets to a flexible receiving substrate using laser heating of a SMP stamp is depicted. The adhesive bond between the SMP stamp and the gold platelets is initially strong, but laser heating of the interface greatly weakens it through shape reconstitution of the SMP micro-structures such that the targeted platelets preferentially adhere to the receiving substrate.