We describe a new patterning technique that employs microcontact printing to replace preformed labile self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) selectively; we call this "microdisplacement printing". We demonstrate that this technique results in ordered molecular regions of both the patterning ("displacing") molecule as well as the remnant labile film, here 1-adamantanethiolate. The existence of the 1-adamantanethiolate SAM before patterning hinders lateral surface diffusion of the patterning molecules, and therefore permits the use of molecules that are otherwise too mobile to pattern by other methods.
The authors describe a chemical patterning technique, “microcontact insertion printing,” that utilizes conventional microcontact printing to pattern isolated molecules diluted within a preexisting self-assembled monolayer. By modifying the preexisting monolayer quality, the stamping duration, and/or the concentration of the patterned molecule, they can influence the extent of molecular exchange and precisely control the molecular composition of patterned self-assembled monolayers. This simple methodology can be used to fabricate complex patterns via multiple stamping steps and has applications ranging from bioselective surfaces to molecular-scale electronic components.
Addressable DNA arrays are created by photopatterning self-assembled monolayers to form hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions on a gold surface. The hydrophilic regions aid to contain small volumes of different DNA solutions placed on them using an automated pin-tool loading strategy. The method allows for efficient attachment, manipulation, and hybridization of pure DNA strands on the surface.
Here we demonstrate the versatility of “microdisplacement printing,” a soft lithographic patterning technique that employs microcontact printing to replace pre-formed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) selectively. We use molecules that are common in microcontact printing as well as low-molecular-weight molecules that cannot be patterned by traditional methods. Multiple component SAMs were fabricated by additional processing steps, extending microdisplacement printing to more complex patterns.
A fluid microplotter that uses ultrasonics to deposit small fluid features has been constructed. It consists of a dispenser, composed of a micropipette fastened to a piece of lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric, attached to a precision positioning system. When an electrical signal of the appropriate frequency and voltage is applied, solution in the tip of the micropipette wicks to the surface in a controlled fashion. The gentle pumping of fluid to the surface occurs when the micropipette is driven at frequencies in the range of 400-700 kHz. Spots with diameters smaller than several microns can be deposited in this manner. Continuous lines can also be produced. Several examples of deposited patterns and structures are described. This means of deposition represents a higher-resolution alternative to standard fluid deposition techniques in the fabrication of biological microarrays or polymer-based circuits.
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