Background: Application of patterns to enable high-resolution Digital Image Correlation (DIC) at the small scale (μm/nm) is known to be very challenging as techniques developed for the macro- and mesoscale, such as spray painting, cannot be scaled down directly. Moreover, existing nano-patterning techniques all rely on harsh processing steps, based on high temperature, chemicals, physical contact, liquids, and/or high vacuum, that can easily damage fragile, small-scale, free-standing and/or hygro-sensitive specimens, such as MEMS or biological samples. Objective: To present a straightforward, inexpensive technique specially designed for nano-patterning highly delicate specimens for high-resolution DIC. Methods: The technique consists in a well-controlled nebulized micro-mist, containing predominantly no more than one nanoparticle per mist droplet. The micro-mist is subsequently dried, resulting in a flow of individual nanoparticles that are deposited on the specimen surface at near-room temperature. By having single nanoparticles falling on the specimen surface, the notoriously challenging task of controlling nanoparticle-nanoparticle and nanoparticle-surface interactions as a result of the complex droplet drying dynamics, e.g., in drop-casting, is circumvented. Results: High-quality patterns are demonstrated for a number of challenging cases of physically and chemically sensitive specimens with nanoparticles from 1 μm down to 50 nm in diameter. It is shown that the pattern can easily be scaled within (and probably beyond) this range, which is of special interest for micromechanical testing using in-situ microscopic imaging techniques, such as high-magnification optical microscopy, optical profilometry, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, etc. Conclusions: Delicate specimens can conveniently be patterned at near-room temperature (\(\sim \)37 ^∘C), without exposure to chemicals, physical contact or vacuum, while the pattern density and speckle size can be easily tuned.

背景：图案，以使在小规模的高分辨率数字图像相关（DIC）的应用（μ米/纳米）众所周知，这是非常具有挑战性的，因为无法直接按比例缩小为宏观和中尺度开发的技术（例如喷漆）。而且，现有的纳米图案技术都依赖于苛刻的加工步骤，这些步骤基于高温，化学药品，物理接触，液体和/或高真空，很容易损坏易碎，小规模，自立和/或吸湿的材料。敏感样本，例如MEMS或生物样本。目的：提出一种直接，廉价的技术，该技术专门设计用于对高分辨率DIC的高度精细的样品进行纳米图案化。方法：该技术包括一个控制良好的雾化微雾，每个雾滴主要包含不超过一个纳米粒子。随后将微雾干燥，导致单个纳米粒子流在接近室温的条件下沉积在样品表面上。通过使单个纳米颗粒落在样品表面上，避免了由于复杂的液滴干燥动力学（例如在滴铸中）而控制纳米颗粒-纳米颗粒和纳米颗粒-表面相互作用的众所周知的挑战性任务。结果：在许多具有物理和化学敏感性的标本中，具有来自1的纳米颗粒的具有挑战性的案例均展示了高质量的模式μ中号至50纳米的直径。结果表明，该图案可以轻松缩放到该范围内（甚至可能超出此范围），这对于使用原位显微成像技术（例如高倍光学显微镜，光学轮廓仪，原子力显微镜，和扫描电子显微镜等结论：精密样品可以方便地在接近室温进行图案化（\（\ SIM \） 37 ^∘ C），在不暴露于化学品，物理接触或真空，而图案密度和斑点尺寸可以容易调整。