2D ordered arrays of nanopatterns fabricated by using colloidal crystals as templates

A facile approach to fabricate two-dimensional (2D) ordered arrays of nanostructures is described in this paper. The approach uses spin-coating liquid materials onto a monolayer or multilayer colloidal crystal template to form a uniform film containing the template. After solidifying, the film is partially etched to expose the template which is then removed by selective etching. The fabrication procedure can produce large-area, size-tunable, periodic nanostructures with excellent structural uniformity. Large-area silica nanostructures with P6 mm symmetry have been formed by employing a dry etching technique. Experimental and simulating results also show that unique 2D nanostructures, with the feature size being much smaller than the diameter of the spherical particles used, can be obtained through three-dimensional silica nanopatterns, acted as a mask, and formed by a bilayer or trilayer colloidal crystal template.