Shrinkage and expansion mechanisms of SiO(2) elliptical membrane nanopores

Abstract

20 nm SiO(2) elliptical membrane nanopores with various thicknesses were directly formed in situ by using a focused electron beam with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The shrinkage and the expansion behaviors of the SiO(2) ellipse nanopores with different thicknesses were attributed to variations in their geometries, in particular their curvatures. The geometric mechanisms of elliptical nanopores with various thicknesses fabricated utilizing a SiO(2) membrane with a thickness gradient by using an electron beam irradiation are described on the basis of TEM images, which depend on the electron beam irradiation time.