Modeling, design and fabrication of a freestanding nanoporous membrane

Nanoporous membranes are widely researched on many application fronts. One challenge for nanoporous membrane research is to provide mechanically stable designs due to inherently weak strength from diminished dimensions. We present a mathematical model that predicts the deflection behavior and strength of nanoporous membranes. Based on these mathematic predictions, we fabricated a nanoporous membrane based on a hierarchical design using microfabrication techniques. Direct force measurement with an atomic force microscope shows that the model accurately predicts the deflection behavior of the fabricated nanoporous membrane.

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