The design of thin polymer membranes filled with magnetic particles on a microstructured silicon surface

In this paper we present the fabrication and characterization of polymer nanomembranes filled with magnetic nanoparticles and attached covalently to a periodic array of free-standing silicon walls, forming an array of micro-channels with the membrane as a cover. The width of a micro-channel of about 1.4 microm sets a characteristic lateral size and the thickness of the polymer membrane ranges between 100 and 300 nm. The membrane is made of cross-linked hydrophilic polymers possessing a Young's modulus of only a few MPa. The presence of the magnetic particles within the membrane makes the film responsive to external magnetic fields. The mechanical and magnetic properties of the membrane are characterized by bulge tests and with atomic force microscopy.