Pattern transfer of nanostructures onto glass using nanoimprint films

We report a method to fabricate periodic nanostructures of silica beads onto a glass substrate by using a nanoimprint film having a hole pattern that acts as a template for an orderly arrangement of the beads within the pattern. Before using the film, its surface was modified from hydrophobic to hydrophilic by UV ozone treatment and surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate. It was found that the periodic nanostructures of the beads were successfully transferred from the nanoimprint film onto the surface of the glass substrate by heat treatment. Our findings indicate that this pattern-transfer method is a promising candidate for the inexpensive fabrication of large-area periodic nanostructures onto glass.

► We propose a simple method to fabricate nanostructures of silica beads onto glass surface by using a nanoimprint film.
► The film acts as a template for an orderly arrangement of the beads.
► The film surface was simply modified from hydrophobic to hydrophilic by UV ozone treatment and surfactant SDS.
► When a weight was used to improve contact during heat treatment, the arrangement of silica beads was faithfully transferred from the hole pattern of the film onto a glass substrate.