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Polymers
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Lithography with Polymer Stamp Techniques
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Lithography with Polymer Stamp Techniques

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Processing and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (16 September 2019) | Viewed by 19682

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Michael Hirtz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Nanotechnology (INT) & Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMF), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Interests: scanning probe lithography (SPL); bioactive surface functionalization; sensor and device functionalization
Prof. Harald Fuchs

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Physical Institute and Center for Nanotechnology (CeNTech), University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
Interests: nano(bio-)technology; scanning probe methods; self-organized functional organic systems; surface chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Surface functionalization with polymer stamps has come a long way, from implementation in microcontact printing enabling large area surface patterning in the microscale by hand, to current scanning probe techniques, such as in polymer pen lithography in highly-controlled nanoscale precise setups. Additionally, polymers play important roles as substrates in structuring methods, such as micro- and nanoimprint lithography.

This very diverse field of techniques found wide adoption in many applications, ranging from surface functionalization for biological experiments over biomedical applications, e.g., in patterning of microfluidic chips, to applications in device functionalization and printable electronics.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect a number of research and review papers that can depict the state-of-the-art in the various types of lithography methods involving polymer stamps, probes or substrates. Especially, the demonstration of inventive applications of such techniques in the life sciences for biological or biomedical purposes, as well as in printable electronics for results not easily addressable with standard lithographic methods, are welcome contributions. We hope to enable a stimulating exchange on this focus topic and are looking forward to receiving your interesting and insightful manuscripts.

Dr. Michael Hirtz
Prof. Harald Fuchs
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Polymer Stamp Lithography,
  • Polymer Pen Lithography,
  • Scanning Probe Lithography,
  • Nanoimprint Lithography,
  • Surface Functionalization,
  • Device Functionalization,
  • Printable Electronics

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5914 KiB  
Article
Writing Behavior of Phospholipids in Polymer Pen Lithography (PPL) for Bioactive Micropatterns
by Alessandro Angelin, Uwe Bog, Ravi Kumar, Christof M. Niemeyer and Michael Hirtz
Polymers 2019, 11(5), 891; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11050891 - 15 May 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4430
Abstract
Lipid-based membranes play crucial roles in regulating the interface between cells and their external environment, the communication within cells, and cellular sensing. To study these important processes, various lipid-based artificial membrane models have been developed in recent years and, indeed, large-area arrays of [...] Read more.
Lipid-based membranes play crucial roles in regulating the interface between cells and their external environment, the communication within cells, and cellular sensing. To study these important processes, various lipid-based artificial membrane models have been developed in recent years and, indeed, large-area arrays of supported lipid bilayers suit the needs of many of these studies remarkably well. Here, the direct-write scanning probe lithography technique called polymer pen lithography (PPL) was used as a tool for the creation of lipid micropatterns over large areas via polymer-stamp-mediated transfer of lipid-containing inks onto glass substrates. In order to better understand and control the lipid transfer in PPL, we conducted a systematic study of the influence of dwell time (i.e., duration of contact between tip and sample), humidity, and printing pressure on the outcome of PPL with phospholipids and discuss results in comparison to the more often studied dip-pen nanolithography with phospholipids. This is the first systematic study in phospholipid printing with PPL. Biocompatibility of the obtained substrates with up to two different ink compositions was demonstrated. The patterns are suitable to serve as a platform for mast cell activation experiments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lithography with Polymer Stamp Techniques)
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12 pages, 1858 KiB  
Article
Polymer Pen Lithography-Fabricated DNA Arrays for Highly Sensitive and Selective Detection of Unamplified Ganoderma Boninense DNA
by Ekta Rani, Siti Akhtar Mohshim, Muhammad Zamharir Ahmad, Royston Goodacre, Shahrul Ainliah Alang Ahmad and Lu Shin Wong
Polymers 2019, 11(3), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11030561 - 25 Mar 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4660
Abstract
There is an increasing demand for lithography methods to enable the fabrication of diagnostic devices for the biomedical and agri-food sectors. In this regard, scanning probe lithography methods have emerged as a possible approach for this purpose, as they are not only convenient, [...] Read more.
There is an increasing demand for lithography methods to enable the fabrication of diagnostic devices for the biomedical and agri-food sectors. In this regard, scanning probe lithography methods have emerged as a possible approach for this purpose, as they are not only convenient, robust and accessible, but also enable the deposition of “soft” materials such as complex organic molecules and biomolecules. In this report, the use of polymer pen lithography for the fabrication of DNA oligonucleotide arrays is described, together with the application of the arrays for the sensitive and selective detection of Ganoderma boninense, a fungal pathogen of the oil palm. When used in a sandwich assay format with DNA-conjugated gold nanoparticles, this system is able to generate a visually observable result in the presence of the target DNA. This assay is able to detect as little as 30 ng of Ganoderma-derived DNA without any pre-amplification and without the need for specialist laboratory equipment or training. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lithography with Polymer Stamp Techniques)
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14 pages, 3160 KiB  
Article
Design and Fabrication by Thermal Imprint Lithography and Mechanical Characterization of a Ring-Based PDMS Soft Probe for Sensing and Actuating Forces in Biological Systems
by Tommaso Dattoma, Antonio Qualtieri, Gianmichele Epifani, Massimo De Vittorio and Francesco Rizzi
Polymers 2019, 11(3), 424; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11030424 - 05 Mar 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3196
Abstract
In this paper, the design, fabrication and mechanical characterization of a novel polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) soft probe for delivering and sensing forces in biological systems is proposed. On the basis of preliminary finite element (FEM) analysis, the design takes advantage of a suitable core [...] Read more.
In this paper, the design, fabrication and mechanical characterization of a novel polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) soft probe for delivering and sensing forces in biological systems is proposed. On the basis of preliminary finite element (FEM) analysis, the design takes advantage of a suitable core geometry, characterized by a variable spring-like ring. The compliance of probes can be finely set in a wide range to measure forces in the micronewton to nanonewton range. In particular, this is accomplished by properly resizing the ring geometry and/or exploiting the mixing ratio-based elastic properties of PDMS. Fabrication by the thermal imprint lithography method allows fast and accurate tuning of ring sizes and tailoring of the contact section to their targets. By only varying geometrical parameters, the stiffness ranges from 1080 mNm−1 to 50 mNm−1, but by changing the base-curing agent proportion of the elastomer from 10:1 to 30:1, the stiffness drops to 37 mNm−1. With these compliances, the proposed device will provide a new experimental tool for investigating force-dependent biological functions in sensory systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lithography with Polymer Stamp Techniques)
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Graphical abstract

9 pages, 2587 KiB  
Article
Design of Elastomer-CNT Film Photoactuators for Nanolithography
by Le Li, Zhongjie Huang, YuHuang Wang and Keith A. Brown
Polymers 2019, 11(2), 314; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11020314 - 13 Feb 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3521
Abstract
Polymer pen lithography (PPL) is an approach to multiplexing scanning probe lithography, in which an array of probes on a compliant film-coated rigid substrate are used to write patterns on a surface. Recently, it was shown that these nominally passive pen arrays can [...] Read more.
Polymer pen lithography (PPL) is an approach to multiplexing scanning probe lithography, in which an array of probes on a compliant film-coated rigid substrate are used to write patterns on a surface. Recently, it was shown that these nominally passive pen arrays can be rendered photo-active by making them out of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)–carbon nanotube (CNT) composite. While such photoactuated pens in principle represent a rapid, maskless, and versatile nanomanufacturing strategy, a key challenge that remains is learning how to effectively control the writing of each pen, individually. In this research, we studied the design of PDMS–CNT thin-film photoactuators and experimentally explored the role of illumination radius, film thickness, and CNT concentration. Additionally, we have proposed a model that predicts actuation efficiency, actuation time, and the crosstalk between pens. Based upon these results, we have generated a map of working efficiency to elucidate the ideal choice for specific actuation requirements. This work lays the foundation for studying further photoactuatable composite films as actuators in applications beyond lithography including soft robotics and adaptive optics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lithography with Polymer Stamp Techniques)
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Graphical abstract

9 pages, 11315 KiB  
Article
A Facile Approach for Fabricating Microstructured Surface Based on Etched Template by Inkjet Printing Technology
by Jiazhen Sun, Chenghu Yun, Bo Cui, Pingping Li, Guangping Liu, Xin Wang and Fuqiang Chu
Polymers 2018, 10(11), 1209; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10111209 - 31 Oct 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3142
Abstract
Microstructures are playing an important role in manufacturing functional devices, due to their unique properties, such as wettability or flexibility. Recently, various microstructured surfaces have been fabricated to realize functional applications. To achieve the applications, photolithography or printing technology is utilized to produce [...] Read more.
Microstructures are playing an important role in manufacturing functional devices, due to their unique properties, such as wettability or flexibility. Recently, various microstructured surfaces have been fabricated to realize functional applications. To achieve the applications, photolithography or printing technology is utilized to produce the microstructures. However, these methods require preparing templates or masks, which are usually complex and expensive. Herein, a facile approach for fabricating microstructured surfaces was studied based on etched template by inkjet printing technology. Precured polydimethylsiloxane substrate was etched by inkjet printing water-soluble polyacrylic acid solution. Then, the polydimethylsiloxane substrate was cured and rinsed, which could be directly used as template for fabricating microstructured surfaces. Surfaces with raised dots, lines, and squares, were facilely obtained using the etched templates by inkjet printing technology. Furthermore, controllable anisotropic wettability was exhibited on the raised line microstructured surface. This work provides a flexible and scalable way to fabricate various microstructured surfaces. It would bring about excellent performance, which could find numerous applications in optoelectronic devices, biological chips, microreactors, wearable products, and related fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lithography with Polymer Stamp Techniques)
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