Robust superhydrophilic patterning of superhydrophobic ormosil surfaces for high-throughput on-chip screening applications

Abstract

This article describes a facile method for the preparation of two-dimensionally patterned superhydrophobic hybrid coatings with controlled wettability. Superhydrophobic coatings were deposited from nanostructured organically modified silica (ormosil) colloids that were synthesized via a simple sol-gel method. On the defined areas of the superhydrophobic ormosil coatings, stable wetted micropatterns were produced using Ultraviolet/Ozone (UV/O) treatment which modifies the surface chemistry from hydrophobic to hydrophilic without changing the surface morphology. The degree of wettability can be precisely controlled depending on the UV/O exposure duration; extremely wetted spots with water contact angle (WCA) of nearly 0 can be obtained. Furthermore, we demonstrated high-throughput biomolecular adsorption and mixing using the superhydrophilic patterns. The proposed superhydrophilic-patterned nanostructured ormosil surfaces with their simple preparation, robust and controlled wettability as well as adaptability on flexible substrates, hold great potential for biomedical and chemical on-chip analysis.

Evaporation-Induced Biomolecule Detection on Versatile Superhydrophilic Patterned Surfaces: Glucose and DNA Assay

“…Superhydrophobic coatings were prepared using previously reported sol–gel method. 9 MTMS (1 mL) was dissolved in 9.74 mL of methanol. Following 15 min stirring, 0.5 mL of 1 mM oxalic acid solution was added dropwise and the solution was gently stirred for 30 min.…”

Droplet Microarrays: From Surface Patterning to High‐Throughput Applications

“…First, a library-microarray slide is prepared by printing compounds of interest in an array format on a glass slide. Precise alignment and "sandwiching" of the droplet microarray slide containing chemicals [67,73,133] or cells [42,134] with the library-microarray slide face-to-face leads to the dissolution of the chemicals in the individual microdroplets without any crosscontamination between adjacent droplets ( Figure 11C). The advantage of this method is that after preprinting a library-microarray using a conventional noncontact printer, the final addition of chemical libraries to the droplets can be done with a very simple handheld device ( Figure 11D).…”

Tailoring Materials with Specific Wettability in Biomedical Engineering

“…[ 35 , 36 ] In particular, the emergence of superwettability‐patterned surfaces provides an effective platform to regulate the physiological process. [ 37 , 38 ] Among them, the superhydrophobic–superhydrophilic patterned surfaces have demonstrated indispensable values on the micropatterning of the living cells for tissue engineering, [ 39 ] cell‐based microarrays, [ 40 ] and cellular fundamental research. In general, the superwetting biomaterials display great prospects in biomedical engineering field.…”