Microcontact printing

About: Microcontact printing is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1621 publications have been published within this topic receiving 66509 citations.

Soft lithography for micro- and nanoscale patterning

Abstract: This protocol provides an introduction to soft lithography--a collection of techniques based on printing, molding and embossing with an elastomeric stamp. Soft lithography provides access to three-dimensional and curved structures, tolerates a wide variety of materials, generates well-defined and controllable surface chemistries, and is generally compatible with biological applications. It is also low in cost, experimentally convenient and has emerged as a technology useful for a number of applications that include cell biology, microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip, microelectromechanical systems and flexible electronics/photonics. As examples, here we focus on three of the commonly used soft lithographic techniques: (i) microcontact printing of alkanethiols and proteins on gold-coated and glass substrates; (ii) replica molding for fabrication of microfluidic devices in poly(dimethyl siloxane), and of nanostructures in polyurethane or epoxy; and (iii) solvent-assisted micromolding of nanostructures in poly(methyl methacrylate).

Features of gold having micrometer to centimeter dimensions can be formed through a combination of stamping with an elastomeric stamp and an alkanethiol ‘‘ink’’ followed by chemical etching

Abstract: This letter describes a technique that can be used to produce well‐defined features of gold. The technique involves patterning of a self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) on a gold substrate using an elastomer stamp (fabricated either from a phenol‐formaldehyde polymer or polydimethylsiloxane), followed by selective etching in an aqueous, basic solution of cyanide ion and dissolved dioxygen (1M KOH, 0.1 M KCN). Electrically conductive structures of gold with dimensions as small as 1 μm have been produced using this procedure. Once a rubber stamp is fabricated, patterning and etching of gold substrates is straightforward. This method is convenient, does not require routine access to clean rooms and photolithographic equipment, and can be used to produce multiple copies of a pattern.

Patterning proteins and cells using soft lithography

Abstract: This review describes the pattering of proteins and cells using a non-photolithographic microfabrication technology, which we call &soft lithography’ because it consists of a set of related techniques, each of which uses stamps or channels fabricated in an elastomeric (&soft’) material for pattern transfer. The review covers three soft lithographic techniques: microcontact printing, patterning using micro#uidic channels, and laminar #ow patterning. These soft lithographic techniques are inexpensive, are procedurally simple, and can be used to pattern a variety of planar and non-planar substrates. Their successful application does not require stringent regulation of the laboratory environment, and they can be used to pattern surfaces with delicate ligands. They provide control over both the surface chemistry and the cellular environment. We discuss both the procedures for patterning based on these soft lithographic techniques, and their applications in biosensor technology, in tissue engineering, and for fundamental studies in cell biology. ( 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using self-assembled monolayers to understand the interactions of man-made surfaces with proteins and cells.

Abstract: Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed on the adsorption of long-chain alkanethiols to the surface of gold or alkylsilanes to hydroxylated surfaces are well-ordered organic surfaces that permit control over the properties of the interface at the molecular scale. The ability to present molecules, peptides, and proteins at the interface make SAMs especially useful for fundamental studies of protein adsorption and cell adhesion. Microcontact printing is a simple technique that can pattern the formation of SAMs in the plane of the monolayer with dimensions on the micron scale. The convenience and broad application offered by SAMs and microcontact printing make this combination of techniques useful for studying a variety of fundamental phenomena in biointerfacial science.

Patterning self-assembled monolayers

Abstract: The understandings and applications of self-assembly have evolved significantly since the adsorption of n-alkyldisulfides on gold surfaces was first reported. The desire to produce features on surfaces that are placed in controlled proximity has driven study in both the chemistries and methodologies of their production. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are found in applications such as molecular and biomolecular recognition, lithography resists, sensing and electrode modification, corrosion prevention, and other areas where tailoring the physicochemical properties of an interface is required. Patterned SAMs, in which specific self-assembling components have a deliberate spatial distribution on the surface (planar or otherwise), are generated to fabricate sophisticated nanoscale architectures and to provide well-characterized supports for physicochemical and biochemical processes. It is possible to introduce patterned features into both SAMs and the substrates that support them as the parameters controlling SAM formation and dynamics are better understood. As these structures are not at equilibrium once formed, one can manipulate the monolayer both during and after its formation by means of thermal, chemical, and electrochemical processing, exposure to controlled energetic beams, and scanning probe microscopes.