Optical manipulation and applications of quasi-one-dimensional nanomaterials

Quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) nanomaterials serve as essential building blocks for next-generation nanodevices, owing to their high specific surface area, strong quantum confinement, and highly tunable properties. The precise manipulation of individual nanostructures is therefore critical for assembling high-performance nanoscale devices. Among various micro- and nanoscale manipulation methods, optical tweezers stand out for their non-contact operation, high spatial precision, and programmable controllability, thus enabling stable trapping and precise manipulation of single quasi-1D nanomaterials in diverse environments. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in optical manipulation using different optical tweezer platforms, including conventional optical tweezers, scanning optical tweezers, holographic optical tweezers, optical fiber tweezers, plasmonic optical tweezers, and optoelectronic systems. We compare their underlying principles, trapping performance, and application scenarios, and identify key challenges in trapping stability, orientation control, and device integration. To address these challenges, potential approaches have been proposed, including advanced optical field engineering, hybrid field coupling, customized trap architectures with coordinated multi-trap operation, and in situ assembly approaches such as thermally induced bonding and localized electrochemical deposition. By consolidating recent progress and outlining future directions, this review provides a structured perspective on optical manipulation of quasi-1D nanomaterials and supports their integration into novel nanodevice fabrication and multifunctional systems.