Patterned TiO₂ nanostructures fabricated with a novel inorganic resist

The fabrication of nanostructures is a very intense field of research in material science over the last decades. Overcoming the limit imposed by the diffraction limit in lithography was addressed in several ways: shifting to smaller wavelength, changing radiation and using electrons or ions instead of photons or using non-conventional bottom up techniques like self-assembly. There are few studies on fabrication of ordered TiO₂ nanostructures, mostly confined to non-scalable technologies, while nanostructured TiO₂ is a material used in many different fields of applications. In our work we present a hybrid nanofabrication technique based on self-assembly coupled with standard UV lithography. With this method we were able to fabricate in a single step and with the use of inexpensive equipment a 2D Nano Bowl Array of TiO₂ with sub wavelength features and easily scalable pattern features. - Highlights: • Titanate nanosheet were proven to be useful as an inorganic negative photo resist. • A Nano Bowl Array structure with features smaller than the diffraction limit of light was obtained. • 2D plasmonic gratings have been obtained by coating the Nano Bowl Array with Ag. • TiO₂ Nano Bowl Array have been used as superhydrophilic/hydrophobic surfaces