Highlights

Nanofluidic transport in lab-on-chip devices requires nanochannels that are difficult to fabricate. We present an alternative to construct large areas .....
 

The photo: Pillared Planar Nanochannel layers with various chemical compositions, morphologies, and pillar and roof inner structures. a) and b) are SEM (profile cut) and TEM (top view) images respectively of a dense TiO2 PPN. Images c) to f) were taken from a similar system for which the material is composed of mesoporous 10%SiO2-90%TiO2. SEM images c) to e) display profile cuts, where one can easily observe the pillars supporting a roof of different thicknesses (obtained with various sol-gel deposition condition), but all bearing the same ordered Im3m mesoporosity induced by the F127. TEM images f) and g) are top views of the layer and reveal a clear emptiness of the pillars. The latter are organised into hexagonal organisation. Scale bar =50 nm for a), b), and f); 100 nm for c), d), and e); and 5 nm for g).
 

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M. Faustini et al. ,Chem. Mater.22, 5687 (2010)