Controlled patterning and dimensional control of suspended carbon nanofibers

Abstract

A simpleand inexpensive top down approach to fabricate micropatterned carbon microand nano-fibers has been developed combiningCarbon-MEMS technology, Low Voltage Near-Field Electrospinning (LVNFES),and isotropic dry etching. A multitude of applications can take advantage of these patterned carbon nanofibers especially in the field of electrochemical sensors and nanoelectronics. In particular, wehave developed a novel polymeric ink that exhibits excellent electrospinning capability in a LVNFES setup and that does survive the pyrolysis process. To illustrate the potential of this new ink, we have fabricated carbon fiberssuspended on Carbon-MEMS structures. The fiber thickness can be controlled by adjusting the LVNFES voltage and using isotropic oxygen plasma based dry etching.