Fabrication of bismuth nanoballs using thermal oil reflow

Sub-micron-size bismuth (Bi) balls with diameters between 100 and 2000 nm were formed on an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template using thermal expansion and thermal oil reflow processes. After centrifugal force separation, 100 nm size Bi balls were obtained. In addition, the ball density was approximately 6 × 10⁷/cm² on an AAO surface. Because of their round shape, the contact angle of the Bi nanoballs on the AAO surface was large after hot oil reflow, making it easy to remove them using ultrasound and to separate different sizes of balls using centrifugal force.