Issue 35, 2018

Non-lithographic nanofluidic channels with precisely controlled circular cross sections

Abstract

Nanofluidic channels have received growing interest due to their potential for applications in the manipulation of nanometric objects, such as DNA, proteins, viruses, exosomes, and nanoparticles. Although significant advances in nanolithography-based fabrication techniques over the past few decades have allowed us to explore novel nanofluidic transport phenomena and unique applications, the development of new technologies enabling the low-cost preparation of nanochannels with controllable and reproducible shapes and dimensions is still lacking. Thus, we herein report the application of a nanofiber printed using a near-field electrospinning method as a sacrificial mold for the preparation of polydimethylsiloxane nanochannels with circular cross sections. Control of the size and shape of these nanochannels allowed the preparation of nanochannels with channel widths ranging from 70–368 nm and height-to-width ratios of 0.19–1.00. Capillary filling tests confirmed the excellent uniformity and reproducibility of the nanochannels. These results therefore are expected to inspire novel nanofluidic studies due to the simple and low-cost nature of this fabrication process, which allows precise control of the shape and dimensions of the circular cross section.

Graphical abstract: Non-lithographic nanofluidic channels with precisely controlled circular cross sections

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Apr 2018
Accepted
24 May 2018
First published
29 May 2018
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2018,8, 19651-19658

Non-lithographic nanofluidic channels with precisely controlled circular cross sections

Y. Park, J. M. Oh and Y. Cho, RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 19651 DOI: 10.1039/C8RA03496F

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