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Nondestructive Mechanical Release of Ordered Polymer Microfiber Arrays from Porous Templates
Author(s) -
Grimm Silko,
Schwirn Kathrin,
Göring Petra,
Knoll Heiko,
Miclea Paul T.,
Greiner Andreas,
Wendorff Joachim H.,
Wehrspohn Ralf B.,
Gösele Ulrich,
Steinhart Martin
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.200600544
Subject(s) - template , microfiber , fabrication , materials science , microstructure , polymer , porosity , nanostructure , nanotechnology , capillary action , composite material , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
Abstract The fabrication of one‐dimensional (1D) nanostructures and microstructures inside the pores of porous templates is intensively investigated. The release of these structures is commonly accomplished by etching and destroying the templates. The 1D nanostructures and microstructures tend to condense because of the occurrence of capillary forces during drying of the specimens. It is shown that highly ordered arrays of polymer microfibers can be easily detached from silanized porous templates by mechanical lift‐off. This procedure leaves the templates intact, thus allowing their recycling, and does not involve the use of solutions or solvents, thus circumventing condensation. Therefore, mechanical lift‐off may enable the up‐scaling of template‐based approaches to the fabrication of highly ordered assemblies of 1D nanostructures and microstructures.