Self-organized micropatterns of high aspect ratio polymer nanofibers by wetting of nanopores

The self-organized micropatterns of high aspect ratio polymer nanofibers were prepared via a facile nanoporous wetting strategy. Various micropatterns with labyrinth-like or honeycomb-like topography can be formed in a controllable manner by adjusting the nanoporous template's nanochannel characteristic (deep-hole or through-hole), the size of nanopores, and the wetting time. The honeycomb-like micro-pattern shows a little higher hydrophobicity than labyrinth-like micropattern when the diameters of their nanofibers are similar. The formation of various self-organized micropatterns is mainly dependant on the dilation stress and interaction between nanofibers during the template's removal and solvent evaporation process. The confining or free conditions of unreleased nanofibers' tips in nanopores determine the topography of the resultant self-organized micropattern, i.e., labyrinth-like or honeycomblike.