We present a new fabrication method for solid-state nanoporous membranes based on sacrificial template structures made of silicon. The process consists of creating membranes by evaporating thin-films on sacrificial templates which, after their selective removal, opens the nanopores and releases the free-standing membranes. This way it is possible to define the geometry of the pore by design and to build the membrane by stacking thin-films of various materials through evaporation. Such a membrane with controlled porosity, pore geometry, thickness and nano-channel composition provides new opportunities for selective chemical functionalization, gating, electrical sensing or electrical stimulation inside the nanopore.
We present an innovative fabrication
method for solid-state nanoporous
membranes based on the casting of sacrificial silicon nanostructures.
The process allows the individual definition of geometry and placement
of each nanopore through e-beam lithography and is compatible with
a wide range of materials without the need to adapt the process to
the materials used. We demonstrate the fabrication of membranes integrating
high aspect-ratio nanopores with critical dimensions as small as 30
nm, 1.2 μm in length, with round or elongated shapes, and made
of silicon dioxide or amorphous carbon. The capability to engineer
nanoporous membranes made of a variety of materials and with tailored
designs will lead to new applications in the field of electrochemical
sensing, flow modulation, or the chemical functionalization of nanopores.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.