Abstract

Nanoporation of planar polystyrene (PS) film by gaseous nanobubbles is described. Ambient gas (air) surface nanobubbles are used to create rounded nanopinholes in supported ultrathin PS films immersed in water. Nanoporation proceeds under biocompatible conditions-in deionized water at room temperature (20 °C) in the absence of any high-energy-demanding processes, in a single step triggered by short (5 s) moderate pressure drop (Δp ≈ -10 kPa) applied on an aqueous phase. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis shows a relatively narrow dimensional distribution, with the prevailing nanopinhole radius of 10 nm and uniform spread with an appearance density of ∼600/μm2. The nanoporation mechanism is discussed. "Nanobubble/tip-assisted" nanoindentation phenomenon is observed based on the compounded interaction of the surface nanobubble with the AFM tip upon prolonged in situ nanobubble scanning.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.