Micropatterning of mammalian cells on indium tin oxide substrates using ion implantation

In this study, a simple surface patterning method to create micropatterns of mammalian cells on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates was developed using ion implantation. Thin polystyrene (PS) films spin-coated on an ITO glass was selectively implanted with accelerated proton ions through a pattern mask and then developed to generate PS micropatterns. Well-organized negative PS patterns were generated on the ITO glass. The results of the in vitro cell culture on the PS-patterned ITO glass with two types of cancer cell lines revealed the formation of well-defined cell patterns through a selective cell adhesion and proliferation only onto the ITO regions separated by PS regions. This facile method for cell patterning may be used to create a desired platform for cellular device applications, such as biosensors and cell microarrays.