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Nanomolding of PEG‐Based Hydrogels with Sub‐10‐nm Resolution
Author(s) -
Diez Mar,
Mela Petra,
Seshan Venkatash,
Möller Martin,
Lensen Marga C.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.200901313
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , peg ratio , materials science , resolution (logic) , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , computer science , engineering , business , artificial intelligence , finance
Abstract A simple, soft nanolithographic method is used to fabricate sub‐10‐nm structures on star polyethylene glycol‐based hydrogels and perfluoropolyether‐based materials. Very small features, for example, gold nanoparticles of size ≈8 nm with an interparticle distance of ≈100 nm, are successfully reproduced from a hard silicon master into both elastomers. Scanning force microscopy is used to investigate the replicas, and the original hexagonal pattern of the nanoparticles is clearly recognized. In addition, both replicas are usable as secondary, soft molds yielding positive copies of the primary, hard master. The results presented here show similar replication capabilities for both elastomers despite the markedly different properties of the precursors. Moreover, the hydrogel material can be easily peeled off from both soft and silicon masters without the need for surface treatment. The procedure allows nanopatterning of a biocompatible material over large areas, which is a useful tool to investigate cellular responses to defined nanotopography.