Nanoembossing‐Enabled Mechanical Interlocking of Monolayer Nanofibers for Device Integration

ABSTRACT The device integration of nanofiber architectures is limited by weak interfacial adhesion and inefficient load transfer at nanofiber–substrate interfaces, leading to poor mechanical robustness and restricted processing compatibility. Here, we report a nanoembossing strategy that enables the interfacial embedding of electrospun nanofibers into lithographically patterned thin frames. Gelatin nanofibers are electrospun onto a patterned OrmoStamp thin film and thermally embossed at 180°C for 1 min. During embossing, a thermally activated compliant surface layer of OrmoStamp undergoes surface‐conformal viscoelastic flow, facilitating intimate contact and stress redistribution of the gelatin nanofibers during crosslinking. Upon cooling, the nanofiber structures transform into an ultrathin two‐dimensional membrane that is mechanically stable due to nanofiber embedment on the surface of OrmoStamp. With the aid of a soft buffer layer, the process further enables curved and fused nanofiber geometries, resulting in well‐defined three‐dimensional nanofiber architectures. These nanofiber structures can subsequently serve as backbone for the self‐assembly of hydrogels or proteins, forming ultrathin functional membranes that support cell culture and tumor spheroid co‐culture under microfluidic conditions. Notably, the resulting membranes exhibit sustained structural integrity after drying and storage, highlighting the inherent robustness of the nano‐embossed nanofiber architecture.