Indirect Microcontact Printing to Create Functional Patterns of Physisorbed Antibodies

Microcontact printing (µCP) is a practical and versatile approach to create nanostructured patterns of biomolecular probes, but it involves conformational changes on the patterned bioreceptors that often lead to a loss on the biological activity of the resulting structures. Herein we introduce indirect µCP to create functional patterns of bioreceptors on solid substrates. This is a simple strategy that relies on physisorbing biomolecular probes of interest in the nanostructured gaps that result after patterning backfilling agents by standard µCP. This study presents the approach, assesses bovine serum albumin as backfilling agent for indirect µCP on different materials, reports the limitations of standard µCP on the functionality of patterned antibodies, and demonstrates the capabilities of indirect µCP to solve this issue. Bioreceptors were herein structured as diffractive gratings and used to measure biorecognition events in label-free conditions. Besides, as a preliminary approach towards sensing biomarkers, this work also reports the implementation of indirect µCP in an immunoassay to detect human immunoglobulin E.

Mechanical characteristics of stretchable electronics based on a mogul-patterned structure

Recent progress in unconventional forms of foldable and stretchable electronics has enabled development of novel electronics. Especially, stretchable electronics have attracted much interest for applications that require reliable operation under mechanical deformation. Stretchable electrodes can be bent, stretched and compressed while maintaining good performance and structural safety. To realize flexible electronics, stretchability of devices, which requires a deeper understanding of nanoscale materials and mechanics, is needed. In this study, the mechanical characteristics of electrodes based on a mogul-pattern, which retain their electrical conductivity under mechanical deformation, were evaluated. Nanostructured patterns and thin film material were considered for stretched and bent models. The von Mises stress and strain distribution were analyzed and depicted graphically.

Bioinspired Composite Materials: Applications in Diagnostics and Therapeutics

Evolution-optimized specimens from nature with inimitable properties, and unique structure–function relationships have long served as a source of inspiration for researchers all over the world. For instance, the micro/nanostructured patterns of lotus-leaf and gecko feet helps in self-cleaning, and adhesion, respectively. Such unique properties shown by creatures are results of billions of years of adaptive transformation, that have been mimicked by applying both science and engineering concepts to design bioinspired materials. Various bioinspired composite materials have been developed based on biomimetic principles. This review presents the latest developments in bioinspired materials under various categories with emphasis on diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Plasmons of topological crystalline insulator SnTe with nanostructured patterns

Using the finite-difference time-domain method and density functional theory, we theoretically investigate the plasmons of topological crystalline insulator (TCI) SnTe with nanostructured patterns.