The most common method utilized for bottom-up fabrication is self-assembled monolayers (SAM). This method usually use biological materials to form a molecular monolayer on the substrate. Nano-channels can also be fabricated from the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and quantum wires. The bottom-up methods usually give well-defined shapes with characteristic length about few nanometers. For these structures to be utilized as nanofluidic devices, the interconnection between nano-channels and microfluidic systems becomes an important issue.
There exist several ways to coat the inner surface with specific charges. Diffusion-limited patterning can be utilized because a bulk solution only penetrate the entrance of a nanochannel within a certain distance. Because the diffusion speed is different for each reactant. By introducing several steps of reactants flowing into the nanochannel, it is possible to pattern the surface with different surface charges inside the channel.