Fabrication of nanochannels with water-dissolvable nanowires.

We report here a template method for the fabrication of nanochannels with water-dissolvable NaNH(4)Mo(3)O(10).H(2)O nanowires as the sacrificial material. By using these nanowires, which have diameters ranging from 20 to 150 nm and lengths up to a hundred microns, we have demonstrated that it is possible to obtain nanochannels with the desired shape of cross section, and desired types of channel material, such as metals and oxides. This technique shows a good potential for the development of various microfluidic and nanofluidic devices.