title: 3D lithography by rapid curing of the liquid instabilities at nanoscale.
abstract: In liquids realm, surface tension and capillarity are the key forces driving the formation of the shapes pervading the nature. The steady dew drops appearing on plant leaves and spider webs result from the minimization of the overall surface energy [Zheng Y, et al. (2010) Nature 463:640-643]. Thanks to the surface tension, the interfaces of such spontaneous structures exhibit extremely good spherical shape and consequently worthy optical quality. Also nanofluidic instabilities generate a variety of fascinating liquid silhouettes, but they are however intrinsically short-lived. Here we show that such unsteady liquid structures, shaped in polymeric liquids by an electrohydrodynamic pressure, can be rapidly cured by appropriate thermal treatments. The fabrication of many solid microstructures exploitable in photonics is demonstrated, thus leading to a new concept in 3D lithography. The applicability of specific structures as optical tweezers and as novel remotely excitable quantum dots-embedded microresonators is presented.
authors: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Istituto Nazionale di Ottica-Sezione di Napoli, Via Campi Flegrei, 34-80078 Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy.
authors: Simonetta
authors: S
authors: Grilli
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Coppola
authors: Veronica
authors: V
authors: Vespini
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Merola
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Finizio
authors: Pietro
authors: P
authors: Ferraro
mesh_terms: D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D052898:Optical Tweezers; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D012997:Solvents