Laser manipulation and assembling of polymer latex particles in solution

Three-dimensional laser manipulation of polymer latex particles in solution was demonstrated. Polymer latex particles with a diameter of several microns were spatially aligned in arbitrary patterns (letters and geometrical figures) by respectively scanning a focused laser beam (1064 nm) under an optical microscope. Irradiation of nanosecond or picosecond 355-nm laser pulses on individual laser-trapped polymer particles is a sample solution containing polymerizable vinyl monomers and a photoinitiator brought about permanent fixation of the particles in three-dimensional structures