Curved microwell arrays created by diffusion-limited chemical etching of artificially engineered solids

A new method based on diffusion-limited chemical etching has been developed for the productions of ordered arrays of curved microwells. Fiber-drawing nanomanufacturing is used to make ordered glass composites with controlled structure and composition. The differential chemical etching of two glasses in the composite preferentially etches one glass material away and generates ordered microwell arrays. The microwells can be replicated onto polymer films to form microdome arrays. Monte Carlo simulation illustrates the diffusion-controlled etching process. The etched microwells have been used to prepare micro/nanocrystals of proteins and inorganic materials with controlled sizes.