Massively parallel patterning of complex 2D and 3D functional polymer brushes by polymer pen lithography

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Current methods for fabricating polymer brushes often lack high throughput and scalability.
• Complex 2D and 3D patterning of functional polymer brushes is crucial for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a high-throughput method for serial patterning of complex 2D and 3D functional polymer brushes.
• To showcase the versatility of patterned polymer brushes in micro/nanofabrication and bio-immobilization.

Main Methods:

• Utilized high-throughput polymer pen lithography for serial patterning.
• Fabricated poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) brushes in arbitrary 2D and 3D structures.
• Employed patterned PGMA brushes as resists and platforms for molecule immobilization.

Main Results:

• Achieved centimeter-area serial patterning (up to 2 cm × 1 cm) of complex 2D and 3D PGMA brushes.
• Demonstrated a throughput increase of 3 orders of magnitude compared to existing techniques.
• Successfully fabricated micro/nanostructures, hard molds, and patterned DNA/protein chips.

Conclusions:

• Developed a low-cost, high-throughput "bench-top" serial fabrication method for functional polymer brushes.
• The method is readily applicable to micro/nanofabrication, optics, electronics, smart surfaces, and biorelated studies.
• This technique offers a scalable solution for creating intricate 2D and 3D polymer brush architectures.