Our research team has been exploring simple and commercially viable techniques for selective transfer of enzyme molecules onto polymer surfaces that catalyze polymer degradation thereby creating lithographically defined patterns in the polymer films. By using thick polymer films (300-500 nm), we studied the ability to retain feature fidelity for holes and channels that penetrate through the film depth. A Polymer Pen Lithography(PPL) technique was used to deposit an aqueous solution of the lipase Candida antarctica Lipase B (CALB) onto a spin-cast PCL film.  The PPL printer used in this study employs an array (typically 10 x 10) of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) printing tips mounted to a multi-axis robot such that multiple patterns, one from each tip, are created in parallel.  By programming the printing sequence, any arbitrary pattern of enzyme ink deposits can be generated, one pattern for each tip in the array.  The tips are coated with enzyme before each printing cycle by dipping into an enzyme inkwell. After printing, the film was incubated at 37oC and 87% RH. CALB selectively catalyzes the degradation of the PCL film during incubation, forming etched features through the film thickness with straight sidewalls. Interactions between the enzyme and the PCL film restricts lateral diffusion of the enzyme and improves resolution compared to previous reported methods. The effect of printing parameters and incubation conditions along with the effect of PCL spherulite size on lithographic resolution will be presented.

Printing patterns with enzymes

247th National Meeting (2014)

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