  We report a versatile water-based method for transferring nanostructures onto
surfaces of various shapes and compositions. The transfer occurs through the
intercalation of a layer of water between a hydrophilic substrate and a
hydrophobic nanostructure (for example, graphene flakes, carbon nanotubes,
metallic nanostructures, quantum dots, etc) locked within a hydrophobic polymer
thin film. As a result, the film entrapping the nanostructure is lifted off and
floats at the air-water interface. The nanostructure can subsequently be
deposited onto a target substrate by the removal of the water and the
dissolution of the polymeric film. We show examples where graphene flakes and
patterned metallic nanostructures are precisely transferred onto a specific
location on a variety of patterned substrates, even on top of curved objects
such as microspheres. The method is simple to use, fast, and does not require
advanced equipment.
