3D meso-nanostructures in cleaved and nanolithographed Mg-Al-hydroxysilicate (clinochlore): Topology, crystal-chemistry, and surface properties

The peculiar physico-chemical properties that a solid surface can present, unlike the bulk, are the key for a huge amount of important and widespread processes, including for instance, contaminant and biomolecules adsorption, solid-state and ion exchange reactions, soil aggregation, adhesion in micro and nanodevices. In this regard, the development of new materials and three-dimensional nanofabrication technologies becomes a fundamental challenge. Here, the authors present both natural and synthetic three-dimensional meso-nanostructures of a particular Mg-Al-hydroxysilicate (mineral clinochlore) produced by scanning probe microscopy related methods. Topology, crystal-chemistry, and surface properties were addressed by experimental and theoretical methodologies on nanocleaved and nanolithographed clinochlore. Scanning probe microscopy revealed a meso-nanostructured heterogeneous surface in terms of morphology, hydrophilic/phobic character and surface potential. The possibility to arbitrarily tailor and fabricate surface nanopatterns by SPM-based nanolithography is reported. Quantum mechanical simulations of the crystal-chemical structure and material properties supported and corroborated the experimental data. These findings suggest that the heterogeneous three-dimensional meso-nanostructured surface of clinochlore can represent an optimal effective substrate for exploring specific and innovative catalytic, electrochemical and biological processes at the nanoscale.