A nanofabrication method, nanografting, has been developed to fabricate nanometer scale patterns on surfaces with specified size and geometry. The nanografting process combines the displacement of selected resist molecules by an atomic force microscopy tip and the adsorption of new adsorbate. The present work details the procedure for nanografting and discusses various kinds of patterns produced and the stability of the resulting patterns. Compared with other methods for microfabrication, nanografting allows a more precise control over the size and geometry of patterned features and their locations on surfaces. Nanopatterns comprising various thiol-based components can be produced, where we have demonstrated the fabrication of nanopatterns from thiols with either the same or different chain lengths and terminal groups from the matrix SAM. Furthermore, nanografting allows the fabricated patterns to be altered in situ without the need to change masks or repeat entire fabrication processes. The patterned SAMs produced by nanografting open new opportunities for systematic studies of such size-dependent properties as conductivity, nanotribology, and spatially-confined surface reactions.

We characterize the selective deposition of liquid microstructures on chemically heterogeneous surfaces by means of dip coating processes. The maximum deposited film thickness depends critically on the speed of withdrawal as well as the pattern size, geometry, and angular orientation. For vertically oriented hydrophilic strips, we derive a hydrodynamic scaling relation for the deposited film thickness which agrees very well with interferometric measurements of dip-coated liquid lines. Due to the lateral confinement of the liquid, our scaling relation differs considerably from the classic Landau-Levich formula for chemically homogeneous surfaces. Dip coating is a simple method for creating large area arrays of liquid microstructures for applications involving chemical analysis and synthesis, biochemical assays, or wet printing of liquid polymer or ink patterns.

We study the equilibrium conformations of liquid microstructures on flat but chemically heterogeneous substrates using energy minimization computations. The surface patterns, which establish regions of different surface energy, induce deformations of the liquid-solid contact line. Depending on the geometry, these deformations either promote or impede capillary breakup and bulge formation. The contact angles of the liquid on the hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions, as well as the pattern geometry and volume of liquid deposited, strongly affect the equilibrium shapes. Moreover, due to the small scale of the liquid features, the presence of chemical or topological surface defects significantly influence the final liquid shapes. Preliminary experiments with arrays of parallel hydrophilic strips produce shapes resembling the simulated forms. These encouraging results provide a basis for the development of high resolution lithography by direct wet printing.

BACKGROUND:While there are numerous benefits of smartphone use for physicians, little is known about the negative effects of using these devices in the context of patient care.OBJECTIVE:To assess resident and faculty smartphone use during inpatient attending rounds and its potential as a source of distraction during transfer of clinical information.DESIGN:Cross‐sectional survey.SETTING:University‐affiliated public teaching hospital.PARTICIPANTS:All housestaff and inpatient faculty in the departments of Medicine and Pediatrics.METHODS:Participants were asked about smartphone ownership, usage patterns during attending rounds, and whether team members had ever missed important data during rounds due to distraction from smartphones. Attendings were asked whether policies should be established for smartphone use during rounds.RESULTS:The overall response rate was 73%. Device ownership was prevalent (89% residents, 98% faculty), as was use of smartphones during inpatient rounds (57% residents, 28% attendings). According to self‐reports, smartphones were used during rounds for patient care (85% residents, 48% faculty), reading/responding to personal texts/e‐mails (37% residents, 12% faculty), and other non‐patient care uses (15% residents, 0% faculty). Nineteen percent of residents and 12% of attendings believed they had missed important information because of distraction from smartphones. Residents and faculty agreed that smartphones “can be a serious distraction during attending rounds,” and nearly 80% of faculty believed that smartphone policies should be established.CONCLUSIONS:Smartphone use during attending rounds is prevalent and can distract users during important information transfer. Attendings strongly favored the institution of formal policies governing appropriate smartphone use during inpatient rounds. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2012;. © 2012 Society of Hospital Medicine

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We have developed a letterpress technique capable of printing polymer films with micrometer scale feature sizes onto flat or spherically shaped nonporous substrates. This printing technique deposits polymer only in desired regions thereby eliminating subsequent developing and subtraction steps. Flat or curved printing plates, which are fabricated from either rigid or deformable materials, are used to transfer thin molten polymer films onto flat target substrates. By deforming the printing plates into a spherical shape, it is also possible to print patterned films onto the concave side of a spherically deformed target substrate. These printed films serve as good resists for both wet chemical etching and reactive ion etching. Interferometric measurements of the polymer film thickness are used to probe physical mechanisms affecting printing instabilities, pattern fidelity, and edge resolution. Our experimental study indicates that this letterpress technique may prove suitable for high-throughput device fabrication involving large-area microelectronics.