Direct Surface Patterning from Solutions: Localized Microchemistry Using a Focused Laser (original) (raw)

Laser assisted deposition of nanopatterned biomolecular layers

Microelectronic Engineering, 2003

This work reports on the production of ultrathin films of biologically functional macromolecules with patterns in the nano to micrometer range and nanometric resolution. This technology is of importance in the quickly developing fields of bioelectronics and molecular electronics. The technique used to immobilize biological molecules in thin uniform films is based on pulsed laser vaporization / ionization of a frozen aqueous solution in a high vacuum vessel. Ionized molecules are then driven to the substrate surface by applied electric fields. Patterning is obtained by electron beam lithography and lift-off. AFM characterization of the films reveals highly uniform near monolayers with nanometric features. The samples are invariably biologically active; comparison with enzymatic reaction kinetics of known concentration solutions gives us a percentage of active molecules in the range of 10-30%. This is sufficient for the production of highly integrated bioelectronic devices. 

DNA-assisted binding of microspheres on glass substrates and their laser-induced release

Materials Science and Engineering: C, 2006

DNA hybridization has been increasingly adopted in materials sciences due to its complementary nature of single stranded DNAs. This unique property could be potentially used in the realization of 2 dimensional (2D) arrays of colloidal microspheres as a precursor to further build more complicated superstructures. In order to precisely understand this DNA-assisted assembly of colloidal particles, we quantitatively assessed the surface density of grafted and hybridizing accessible DNA oligomers on both substrate and colloidal particles. The DNA grafting densities were determined by UV -Vis of dye-functionalized complementary DNA oligomers, in conjunction with theoretical models. The variations of the concentration of hybridized DNA as a function of parameters such as the number of DNA base pairs (bp), the length of spacer and the size of sphere were also investigated to determine the immobilization strength of colloidal microspheres on the substrate. Dehybridization of the particle was conducted by utilizing a focused laser beam. These results were also compared with the particle hybridization energies and modeled according to the sum of DNA bindings as a function of the number of hybridized bases. D 2005 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Controlled patterning of biomolecules on solid surfaces

Materials Science and Engineering: C, 2003

The micropatterning of different enzymes on a solid surface to develop a multi-functional biosensor are discussed. A segmented polyurethane was used as photo-resist on a gold surface and irradiated with an ArF excimer laser (k = 193 nm) in order to obtain microarrays in the polymer structure. Alkanethiols (HS-(CH 2) n-X) formed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on the revealed bare gold surface. Biomolecules (e.g. glucose oxidase (GOD)) were bound covalently to the end group of the SAMs. Different enzymes were attached on the same solid surface in a patterned way. To increase the sensitivity for detection of biomolecular species, multilayer films of glucose oxidase were formed on the solid surface.

Light-induced immobilisation of biomolecules as an attractive alternative to micro-droplet dispensing-based arraying technologies

PROTEOMICS, 2008

The present work shows how UV 'light-induced molecular immobilisation' (LIMI) of biomolecules onto thiol reactive surfaces can be used to make biosensors, without the need for traditional microdispensing technologies. Using 'LIMI,' arrays of biomolecules can be created with a high degree of reproducibility. This technology can be used to circumvent the need for often expensive nano/microdispensing technologies. The ultimate size of the immobilised spots is defined by the focal area of the UV beam, which for a diffraction-limited beam can be less than 1 mm in diameter. LIMI has the added benefit that the immobilised molecules will be spatially oriented and covalently bound to the surface. The activity of the sensor molecules is retained. Antibody sensor arrays made using LIMI demonstrated successful antigen binding. In addition, the pattern of immobilised molecules on the surface is not restricted to conventional array formats. The ultimate consequence of the LIMI is that it is possible to write complex protein patterns using bitmaps at high resolution onto substrates. Thus, LIMI of biomolecules provides a new technological platform for biomolecular immobilisation and the potential for replacing present microdispensing arraying technologies.

DNA deposition through laser induced forward transfer

Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2005

Laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) is a laser direct write technique that appears to be specially adequate for the production of biosensors, since it permits to deposit patterns of biomolecules with high spatial resolution. In the LIFT technique, a laser pulse is focused on a thin film of the material to be transferred through a transparent support, and under the action of the laser pulse, a small fraction of the film is transferred to a receptor substrate that is placed parallel to the film-support system. In the case of biomolecules transfer, the thin film consists in a liquid solution containing the biomolecules. In this work, microarrays of two different cDNAs have been both spotted by LIFT and pin microspotting onto a poly-l-lysine treated glass slide. Once transferred, all the microarrays have been submitted to hybridization with the complementary strands of the spotted cDNAs, each one tagged with a different fluorochrome. Comparative fluorescence scanner analyses have revealed that the microarrays transferred through LIFT are equivalent to those transferred through pin microspotting in terms of signal intensity and gene discrimination capacity, and that the action of the laser pulse does not result in significant damage of the transferred DNA.

Microfabrication of Nanoporous Gold Patterns for Cell-material Interaction Studies

Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2013

Nanostructured materials with feature sizes in tens of nanometers have enhanced the performance of several technologies, including fuel cells, biosensors, biomedical device coatings, and drug delivery tools. Nanoporous gold (np-Au), produced by a nano-scale self-assembly process, is a relatively new material that exhibits large effective surface area, high electrical conductivity, and catalytic activity. These properties have made np-Au an attractive material to scientific community. Most studies on np-Au employ macro-scale specimens and focus on fundamental science of the material and its catalytic and sensor applications. The macro-scale specimens limit np-Au's potential in miniaturized systems, including biomedical devices. In order to address these issues, we initially describe two different methods to micropattern np-Au thin films on rigid substrates. The first method employs manually-produced stencil masks for creating millimeter-scale np-Au patterns, while the second method uses lift-off photolithography to pattern sub-millimeter-scale patterns. As the np-Au thin films are obtained by sputter-deposition process, they are compatible with conventional microfabrication techniques, thereby amenable to facile integration into microsystems. These systems include electrically-addressable biosensor platforms that benefit from high effective surface area, electrical conductivity, and gold-thiol-based surface bioconjugation. We describe cell culture, immunostaining, and image processing techniques to quantify np-Au's interaction with mammalian cells, which is an important performance parameter for some biosensors. We expect that the techniques illustrated here will assist the integration of np-Au in platforms at various length-scales and in numerous applications, including biosensors, energy storage systems, and catalysts.

Guided cell patterning on gold–silicon dioxide substrates by surface molecular engineering

Biomaterials, 2004

We report an effective approach to patterning cells on gold-silicon dioxide substrates with high precision, selectivity, stability, and reproducibility. This technique is based on photolithography and surface molecular engineering and requires no cell positioning or delivery devices, thus significantly reducing the potential damage to cells. The cell patterning was achieved by activating the gold regions of the substrate with functionalized thiols that covalently bind proteins onto the gold regions to guide subsequent cell adhesion while passivating the silicon dioxide background with polyethylene glycol to resist cell adhesion. Fourier transform infrared reflectance spectroscopy verified the successful immobilization of proteins on gold surfaces. Protein patterns were visualized by tagging proteins with Rhodamine fluorescent probes. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry was used to characterize the chemistry of both the cell-adhesive and cell-resistant regions of surfaces after each key chemical reaction occurring during the molecular surface engineering. The ability of the engineered surfaces to guide cell adhesion was illustrated by differential interference contrast (DIC) reflectance microscopy. The cell patterning technique introduced in this study is compatible with micro-and photoelectronics, and may have many medical, environmental, and defense applications.