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Updated: May 31, 2026
Large-area Scanning Probe Nanolithography Facilitated by Automated Alignment and Its Application to Substrate Fabrication for Cell Culture Studies
Published on: June 12, 2018
Highly parallel fabrication of nanopatterned surfaces with nanoscale orthogonal biofunctionalization imprint
Harold E Gaubert1, Wolfgang Frey
1Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Nano and Molecular Science and Technology, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, C0800, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Abstract:
Large areas of nanopatterns of specific chemical functionality are needed for biological experiments and biotechnological applications. We present nanoscale orthogonal biofunctionalization imprint lithography (NOBIL), a parallel top-down imprinting and lift-off technique based on step-and-flash imprint lithography (SFIL) that is able to create centimetre-scale areas of nanopatterns of two biochemical functionalities. A photoresist precursor is polymerized with a template in place, and the thin resist layer is etched to create an undercut for lift-off. Gold nano-areas on a silicon dioxide background are then independently functionalized using self-assembly that translates the nanopattern into a cell-adhesive/cell-rejective functionality pattern. We demonstrate the technique by creating fibronectin areas down to a pattern size of 60 nm against a polyethylene glycol (PEG) background, and show initial results of cells stably seeded over an array of 1 mm(2) areas of controlled size and pitch.
