Fabrication of Nanoporous Membranes for Knudsen Pump Using Glancing Angle Deposition

This paper reports a novel way for creating nanoporous polymer membranes using GLancing Angle Deposition (GLAD). The size, shape and density of the GLAD features are controlled with high flexibility. The GLAD films are used as nanotemplates and converted into nanopores within a polymer membrane. In our experiment, free-standing nanoporous membranes are fabricated with nanometer-level hydraulic diameter and a high porosity. The membranes exhibit notable performance when used for a Knudsen pump. GLAD nanotemplating is an excellent candidate for fabricating tailored nanoporous polymer membranes for applications such as Knudsen pumps and other nanofluidic systems.