Work

Sub–10-nm imprint lithography on elastomers by chain translocated crystallization in nanochannels

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Elastomers with nanostructured surfaces exhibit substantial importance in enhancing interfacial properties including mechanics and optical diffraction. However, the structure on elastomer surfaces by imprinting is limited to microscale features due to kinetically arrested reptation diffusion and inevitable entropic recovery. Herein, we design a dynamic elastomeric network to achieve nanoimprinting with ultrahigh resolution and aspect ratios by chain translocated crystallization in nanochannels. Specifically, dynamic covalent bonds trigger network reconstruction after thermal activation and enhance chain disentanglement, which promotes chain translocation in nanochannels. Meanwhile, the crystalline phase within nanochannels creates energetic barriers that effectively restrict entropy-driven recovery. This strategy enables imprinting of elastomer surfaces with sub–10-nm structures, across a 10 7 range in length scale and aspect ratios exceeding 100:1, far outperforming conventional elastomers. Moreover, the imprinted nanostructures provide elastomer surfaces with a marked modulus enhancement by ~5 times to reach 4.2 gigapascals while simultaneously improving optical transparency, which endows elastomers with highly integrated multifunctional protective capabilities.

Source: Science Advances

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aec3829