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“Background The advantageous physicochemical properties of many of the different carbon microNU7026 ic50 structures have attracted a wide range of research interests and a large variety of carbon allotropes ranging from graphene sheets to carbon nanotubes (CNTs), diamond-like coatings, and glassy carbon have been investigated intensively [1–4].

Glassy carbon is one of the carbon allotropes of particular interest in PF-4708671 ic50 this study; it exhibits a wide electrochemical stability window, excellent biocompatibility, superior thermal and chemical stability, low gas permeability, and high thermal conductivity [5]. The low reactivity and gas impermeability of glassy carbon has been explained by a fullerene-related model that holds that glassy carbon contains primarily non-graphitizing sp

2-bonded carbons [6]. Glassy carbon has been explored for applications in solar cell systems [7], Li-ion batteries [8], optical memory devices [9], and electrochemical sensing platforms [10]. To enable these listed applications, several research groups are working towards low-cost carbon fabrication processes. Interesting three-dimensional (3D) glassy carbon shapes can often be obtained simply by patterning certain polymer precursors into the desired geometry and heating it at high temperature in an inert atmosphere or in vacuum, i.e., by pyrolysis or carbonization [11]. Based on this general fabrication scheme, various types of polymer patterning processes and pyrolysis process variations are combined to extend the applications of glassy carbon devices. Polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) [12–14] and photosensitive polymers [5, 10, 15, 16] are widely used as polymeric precursors selleck for glassy carbon. Selleckchem Verteporfin Glassy carbon nanowires were fabricated, for example, by the pyrolysis of poly furfuryl alcohol nanowires polymerized in the pores of a nanoporous alumina template and subsequent template removal [13]. These

nanowires exhibited semiconductor-type electrical properties as also found in semiconducting amorphous materials [17]. However, with a technique like this, it is difficult to position carbon nanowires at desired locations of pre-existing structures for the completion of micro/nanodevices or for realizing reliable ohmic contacts with the nanowire at desired points along the nanowires. A more versatile fabrication method called carbon microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) was developed; it is capable of generating monolithic 3D carbon micro/nanostructures, inclusive of ohmic contacts, by pyrolyzing photosensitive micro/nanopolymer structures pre-patterned using any type of lithography including UV lithography and e-beam lithography [8, 16]. Especially when UV lithography is used to pattern the polymer structures, C-MEMS constitutes a simple and relatively low-cost fabrication method [5, 10, 15]. During pyrolysis, the polymer precursor experiences dramatic volume shrinkage and that shrinkage is isometric and predictable.