Micro-Patterning of Polymers for High Resolution Microscopy Analysis

Abstract

Micro-patterned surfaces are of interest in biology and chemistry due to the ability to confine functional sample materials to specific areas. If patterns are visible, either through optical microscopy, or topographically, with scanning probe microscopy, investigating samples in a manner that is cheap and accessible to most laboratories is possible. Examples include micropatterning cells in tissue engineering, and protein micro-array analysis. We have created a micro-patterned surface with tailored optical and topographic properties. These were investigated using the microscopy techniques, confocal microscopy (CM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and near field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM). AFM and CM were used to investigate different aspects of the micro-pattern. to confirm the properties of the micro-pattern, we show the advantages of NSOM in investigating surfaces with both optical and topographic properties simultaneously. Micro-patterns were fabricated using a soft lithography technique, micro-contact printing, where reagents are ‘stamped’ upon substrates using an elastomeric moulding of a micro-template.