Fabrication of nanochannels on polystyrene surface

Solvent-induced nanocrack formation on polystyrene surface is investigated experimentally. Solubility parameter and diffusion coefficient of alcohols are employed to elucidate the swelling and cracking processes as well as the crack size. Experimental results show that the crack size increases with the heating temperature, heating time, and the concentration and volume of the alcohols. A guideline on fabricating single smaller nanocracks on polymers by solvent-induced method is provided. Nanocracks of approximately 64 nm in width and 17.4 nm in depth were created and replicated onto PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) slabs to form nanochannels.