Transmission of 3 keV Ne7+ ions through nanocapillaries etched in polymer foils: evidence for capillary guiding.

We report unprecedented transmission experiments of 3 keV Ne7+ ions through capillaries of 100 nm diameter and 10 microm length produced by etching ion tracks in a polymer foil. We studied foils tilted up to +/-20 degrees for which the incident ions are forced to interact with the capillary surface. Surprisingly, the majority of Ne7+ ions were found to survive the surface scattering events in their initial charge state. The angular distributions of the transmitted particles indicate propagation of the Ne7+ ions along the capillary axis. This capillary guiding of the Ne7+ ion provides evidence that the inner walls of the capillaries become charged and electron capture from the surface is suppressed in a self-organizing process.