Effects of CO2 critical point drying on nanostructured SiO2 thin films after liquid exposure

► Exposure to liquids changes the physical structure of nanorod thin films. ► This effect prevents lithographic processing of such thin films. ► CO2 critical point drying technique (CPD) prevents the structure of such films. ► Results would enable wet lithographic processing of these films. ► CO2 CPD minimizes the surface tension effects of the liquids on such thin films.