Full-Spectrum Flexible Color Printing at the Diffraction Limit

TL;DR

This paper introduces a rapid, open-air nanodrip printing method for high-resolution, full-spectrum color printing using quantum dots, surpassing traditional diffraction-limited techniques in color range and intensity control.

Contribution

The authors develop a novel nanodrip printing technique that enables diffraction-limited, full-spectrum color printing with variable intensity and high resolution, expanding capabilities beyond existing plasmonic methods.

Findings

Achieved 250 nm resolution in color printing.

Covered a broader color space than standard RGB.

Successfully printed a photorealistic colorful parrot image.

Abstract

Color printing at the diffraction limit has been recently explored by fabricating nanoscale plasmonic structures with electron beam lithography. However, only a limited color range and constant intensity throughout the structure have been demonstrated. Here we show an alternative, facile approach relying on the direct, open-atmosphere electrohydrodynamic rapid nanodrip printing of controlled amounts of red, green and blue (RGB) quantum dots at a resolution of 250 nm. The narrow emission spectrum of the dots allows the coverage of a very broad color space, exceeding standard RGB (sRGB) of modern display devices. We print color gradients of variable intensity, which to date could not be achieved with diffraction-limited resolution. Showcasing the capabilities of the technology, we present a photo-realistic printed image of a colorful parrot with a pixel size of 250 nm.