Clumping Stability of Vertical Nanofibers on Surfaces

The clumping behavior of nanofibers, including nanowires and nanotubes, is a challenge to their fabrication, which may diminish their optical, electrical, and mechanical performance. However, the stability of the clumping status, especially the unstable clumping state, was rarely discussed to give a deep understanding on clumping criteria. In this study, an energy-based analysis of the nanofiber system was introduced to analyze the deformation of the fibers, providing a novel method to define the thermodynamic stability and the kinetic stability of clumping. The clumping stability design map was proposed, further the stability of the clumping status and the criteria of the five states (the stable, the thermodynamic stable, the kinetic stable, unstable, and the nonclumping state) were discussed. The theoretical criteria provide new insights into designing nanofiber arrays on surfaces to achieve desired clumping or nonclumping states.