Controlled manipulation and in situ mechanical measurement of single co nanowire with a laser-induced cavitation bubble

The flow induced by a single laser-induced cavitation bubble is used to manipulate individual Co nanowires. The short-lived (<20 μs) bubble with a maximum size of 45 μm is created in an aqueous solution with a laser pulse. Translation, rotation, and radial motion of the nanowire can be selectively achieved by varying the initial distance and orientation of the bubble with respect to the nanowire. Depending on the initial distance, the nanowire can be either pushed away or pulled toward the laser focus. No translation is observed for a distance further than approximately 60 μm, while at closer distance, the nanowire can be bent as a result of the fast flow induced during the bubble collapse. Studying the dynamics of the shape recovery allows an estimation of the Young's modulus of the nanowire. The low measured Young's modulus (in a range from 9.6 to 13.0 GPa) of the Co nanowire is attributed to a softening effect due to structural defects and surface oxidation layer. Our study suggests that this bubble-based technique allows selectively transporting, orienting, and probing individual nanowires and may be exploited for constructing functional nanodevices.