title: Electrical double layer catalyzed wet-etching of silicon dioxide.
abstract: We show that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) accelerate the wet etching of silicon dioxide in a strong alkaline solution. This catalytic effect is due to the spontaneous adsorption of hydroxide on the surface of the CNTs. Such adsorption creates an electrical double layer around the CNTs within which the concentration of hydroxide is higher than the bulk value. Our result suggests that the electrical double layer can be used to pattern nanoscale features. Fabrication of SiO(2) trenches with approximately 60 nm lateral resolution is demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and the Columbia University Center for Electronics of Molecular Nanostructures, Columbia University, 3000 Broadway, New York, New York 10027, USA.
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Steigerwald
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nuckolls