Surface Functionalization and Patterning Techniques to Design Interfaces for Biomedical and Biosensor Applications

Abstract

Summary: In this paper, we present a review of our research activity related to the use of plasma deposition and etching technologies for the production of functional polymers (protein affinity and anti‐fouling) and their application to the fabrication chemical contrasts at micro and sub micron scale. Plasma deposition processes of acrylic acid (ppAA) and PEO‐like films to obtain functionalized surfaces are illustrated, together with optical lithography and colloidal lithography techniques used for micro and nanoscale patterning. In particular, microstructure based upon a combination of pulsed plasma polymerized acrylic acid (with carboxyl retention up to 15%) and cell repulsive PEO‐like character (CO content higher than 70%) have been realized and characterized by XPS and TOF‐SIMS. Furthermore, colloidal lithography is used for fabrication of sub‐micron (100 nm diameter) ppAA functionalized nanostructures and protein adsorption and cell growth experiments are described, demonstrating the reliability of plasma polymers for micro and nanobiotechnology applications.

Direct Nanopatterning of 3D Chemically Active Structures for Biological Applications

“…XPS measurements on the samples reveal that the COOH/C-C surface-bond concentration ratio decreases from (20 ± 2) % for the soluble PAAC layer to (13 ± 4) % for the stabilized area. The number of retained carboxylic acid functionalities obtained after electronbeam stabilization is comparable to the retention value obtained in previous work for stable plasma-polymerized poly(acrylic acid), [16] indicating that the stabilized PAAC is suitable for use as a surface for biological applications. During the irradiation, the electron beam serves not only to stabilize the PAAC, but it also interacts and activates the surface of the PEO-like coating underneath.…”

High throughput methods applied in biomaterial development and discovery

“…Microarrays can be formed using a variety of different techniques including photolithography, softlithography, microfluidics, nanolithography, contact printing and ink-jet printing [33,34]. Of these approaches, the best suited for the production of vast arrays of varied materials are the direct writing methods, where a print head comprising a nozzle or tip to spatially deliver molecules or using a beam of photons or high energy particles to initiate synthesis is used rather than the masking approach described previously for sputtering of materials.…”

Non-thermal plasma assisted lithography for biomedical applications: an overview

“…As the interfacial chemistry for COOH is complementary to amines, they are often used when NH 2 -rich surfaces are not triggering the desired cell-response. Brétagnol et al [89] and Sardella et al…”

“…Nanometre patterns with a higher resolution (100-500 nm) were obtained through a combination of plasma polymerisation and colloidal lithography [36,89]. L929 mouse fibroblasts were seeded onto the micropatterned surfaces and results showed that the cells were again restrained within the COOH-rich domains.…”