Patent ID: 8051800

Claim:
A nanomaterial immobilization apparatus immobilizing a nanomaterial on a sample comprising: an electrostatic spray nozzle, comprising a nozzle body, having a tubular structure capable of storing, in an interior thereof, a nanomaterial dispersion liquid, in which a nanomaterial is dispersed in a solvent, and having a dispersion liquid spray outlet, provided at a tip of the tubular structure, for electrostatically spraying the nanomaterial dispersion liquid; a sample support, supporting a sample, which is a target of nanomaterial immobilization so as to oppose the dispersion liquid spray outlet of the electrostatic spray nozzle; a voltage applying unit, applying an electrostatic spraying voltage between the nanomaterial dispersion liquid and the sample; and an aggregation state monitoring unit, optically monitoring an aggregation state of the nanomaterial in a passage region of the nanomaterial sprayed toward the sample from the electrostatic spray nozzle; and wherein, in electrostatically spraying the nanomaterial dispersion liquid from the dispersion liquid spray outlet of the electrostatic spray nozzle to the sample, the voltage applying unit applies the voltage so as to achieve a condition where one or zero particles of the nanomaterial are contained in each individual droplet sprayed, and the electrostatic spray nozzle and the sample support are disposed so that with each individual droplet of the nanomaterial dispersion liquid sprayed from the electrostatic spray nozzle, the solvent contained in the droplet is dried in a spray atmosphere and the nanomaterial is electrostatically deposited on a surface of the sample in a state where the solvent of the nanomaterial dispersion liquid has dried to immobilize the nanomaterial on the sample, and the aggregation state monitoring unit comprises: a monitoring light source, irradiating the passage region of the nanomaterial with monitoring light; and a photodetection unit, optically monitoring the aggregation state by detecting at least one of either scattered light or fluorescence from the nanomaterial generated by the monitoring light.