A study on micro/nano pattern replication using a hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer

A micro/nano pattern was simply fabricated on the surface of a hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) thin film and its properties were investigated. HEC is easily dissolved in water and has excellent properties such as viscosity, transparency and stability. In this study, HEC was prepared by chemical processing with water-insoluble cellulose and water-soluble ether and was then cast as a flexible film. With the use of a micro patterned metal mold, the pattern was simply replicated on the solid-state HEC film. Micro/nano hybrid structured patterns consisting of micro-scale structures of about 10 μm and nano-scale fibrils of less than 10 nm were prepared, and the surface characteristics of the patterned HEC film were experimentally verified. Measurements showed that the micro/nano hybrid structure resulted in a higher water drop contact angle, but the contact angle decreased gradually with increasing wetting time.