Patterned surfaces with distinct regularity and structured
arrangements
have attracted great interest due to their extensive promising applications.
Although colloidal patterning has conventionally been used to create
such surfaces, herein, we introduce a novel 3D patterned poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) surface, synthesized by
using a combination of colloidal templating and surface-initiated
photoinduced electron transfer-reversible addition–fragmentation
chain transfer (SI-PET-RAFT) polymerization. In order to investigate
the temperature-driven 3D morphological variations at a lower critical
solution temperature (LCST) of ∼32 °C, multifaceted characterization
techniques were employed. Atomic force microscopy confirmed the morphological
transformations at 20 and 40 °C, while water contact angle measurements,
upon heating, revealed distinct trends, offering insights into the
correlation between surface wettability and topography adaptations.
Moreover, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring
and electrochemical measurements were employed to detect the topographical
adjustments of the unique hollow capsule structure within the LCST.
Tests using different sizes of PSNPs shed light on the size-selective
capture–release potential of the patterned PNIPAM, accentuating
its biomimetic open–close behavior. Notably, our approach negates
the necessity for expensive proteins, harnessing temperature adjustments
to facilitate the noninvasive and efficient reversible capture and
release of nanostructures. This advancement hopes to pave the way
for future innovative cellular analysis platforms.