Multiscale fluidic structure, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). This integrated silicon pillar array (top) is composed of 18-micron tall, 800-nanometre wide pillars in a hexagonal arrangement. The exact channel width between the pillars (nanopores) is tailored by coating the pillars using deposition techniques. The branching system of channels (bottom) provides an interface between the nanopores and the external environment. Structures like this can be used as lab-on-a-chip sensors. This work is being carried out at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, USA. Image published in 2009.