Flexible nanoimprint mold based on a commercial SEBS thermoplastic elastomer

摘要

A commercial thermoplastic block copolymer elastomer, Poly (Styrene-block-Ethylene-co-Butylene-block-Styrene) (SEBS), was investigated as flexible mold material for UV-curing nanoimprint lithography. The SEBS mold was fabricated by a thermal imprint technique on a SEBS sheet. After deposition of 10 nm-thick SiO_2 layer, the mold release agent, fluoroalkyltrichlorosilane, was able to covalently bind on the surface of the SEBS mold through the silanol groups on the SiO_2. The SEBS mold preserved its imprint fidelity over 10 repeated imprint cycles. Moreover, the SEBS was employed as an elastic support for a double-layer hybrid nanoimprint mold instead of PDMS. Gratings patterns with a pitch of 278 nm were successfully imprinted on the cylindrical surface of a microfiber, demonstrating that SEBS hybrid mold was capable of fabricating high-resolution nanostructures on non-planar substrates.