Review article: Fabrication of nanofluidic devices

TLDR

Nanofluidics studies fluid flow in channels smaller than 100 nm, enabling unique transport phenomena and promising applications in biology and energy, and its rapid growth is driven by advances in micro‑ and nanofabrication techniques. This review summarizes recent nanofabrication activities and achievements for nanofluidic devices over the past four years. The authors outline three major fabrication strategies—nanolithography, MEMS‑based techniques, and nanomaterial‑based methods—along with unconventional polymer, failure‑mechanism, and macro/microscale machining approaches, and provide a guideline for material and process selection. The review discusses current technical challenges and potential opportunities in nanofabrication for nanofluidic research.

Abstract

Thanks to its unique features at the nanoscale, nanofluidics, the study and application of fluid flow in nanochannels/nanopores with at least one characteristic size smaller than 100 nm, has enabled the occurrence of many interesting transport phenomena and has shown great potential in both bio- and energy-related fields. The unprecedented growth of this research field is apparently attributed to the rapid development of micro/nanofabrication techniques. In this review, we summarize recent activities and achievements of nanofabrication for nanofluidic devices, especially those reported in the past four years. Three major nanofabrication strategies, including nanolithography, microelectromechanical system based techniques, and methods using various nanomaterials, are introduced with specific fabrication approaches. Other unconventional fabrication attempts which utilize special polymer properties, various microfabrication failure mechanisms, and macro/microscale machining techniques are also presented. Based on these fabrication techniques, an inclusive guideline for materials and processes selection in the preparation of nanofluidic devices is provided. Finally, technical challenges along with possible opportunities in the present nanofabrication for nanofluidic study are discussed.