Controlling Cracks In Micro-Scale Structures Involving Inorganic Nanoparticles

Abstract

Cracks develop as a result of the intrinsic stress buildup in a system and can be characterized as a type of self-organizing responses arisen from the surface instability. There have been various researches on fundamental study of cracks and crack controlling for valuable applications such as nanopatterning and nanofluidics. However, cracking of a mesoporous film in imprinting system has not been much of interest to researchers and yet received attention. In this study, we focus on the cracking in imprinting system and propose its mechanism by investigating the effects of stress localization and compaction mechanism under the influence of external pressure, using different analyzing tools. A better understanding of cracking in imprinting system would eventually help open up new possibilities for a wider range of applications, including optical gratings, gas sensors, and electronic devices requiring both high surface area and durability.