Soft Lithography.

Soft lithography, a set of techniques for microfabrication, is based on printing and molding using elastomeric stamps with the patterns of interest in basrelief. As a technique for fabricating microstructures for biological applications, soft lithography overcomes many of the shortcomings of photolithography. In particular, soft lithography offers the ability to control the molecular structure of surfaces and to pattern the complex molecules relevant to biology, to fabricate channel structures appropriate for microfluidics, and to pattern and manipulate cells. For the relatively large feature sizes used in biology (> or = 50 microns), production of prototype patterns and structures is convenient, inexpensive, and rapid. Self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiolates on gold are particularly easy to pattern by soft lithography, and they provide exquisite control over surface biochemistry.

Research in microfabrication is important to many areas of science and technology. An emerging set of microlithographic techniques, known as soft lithography, uses elastomeric elements for microcontact printing (μCP), molding, or near field photolithography. We describe the use of two soft lithographic techniques to build DFB lasers with narrow emission linewidths. This demonstrates the suitability of soft lithography for building structures that have (i) feature sizes (∼300 nm) significantly less than 1 μm, and (ii) long-range (∼1 mm) spatial coherence. The lasers use optically pumped gain material deposited on a DFB resonator formed from periodic relief on the surface of a transparent substrate. The required relief was generated on glass and polymer surfaces with μCP and replica molding respectively. μCP produced lines of gold on a glass slide; RIE using the gold as a resist generated periodic relief (600 nm period, 50 nm depth) on the glass surface. Polymer gratings with similar dimensions were formed by curing a polyurethane film against an elastomeric mold. The good performance of the lasers suggest the potential utility of soft lithographic techniques for low-cost fabrication of high-performance optoelectronic devices. Other types of resonators, including distributed Bragg reflector and quasi two-dimensional photonic bandgap based resonators can also be fabricated with the techniques demonstrated here.

The patterning of polymer-based semiconductors, conductors, and insulators using photoresists is compromised because of the chemical vulnerability of polymers towards etching and photopatterning steps. Here an approach to the preparation of polymer LEDs using soft lithography techniques based on elastomer stamps is presented. The Figure shows line-shaped LEDs produced by microcontact printing.

Fabrication and characterization of guided-mode resonance filters made by soft lithography are presented. As these resonant elements are highly sensitive to parametric variations, it is important to develop methods for their reliable fabrication. Thus, we provide a fabrication process that is consistent and simple, employing an elastomeric mold and a UV-curable organic-inorganic hybrid material. Measured spectra show approximately 81% reflectance and approximately 8% transmittance at a resonance wavelength of 1538 nm. The filter's linewidth is approximately 4.5 nm, and the sideband reflectance is approximately 5%. Experimental and theoretical results are in good agreement.

Miniaturised arrays of tin oxide gas sensors on single microhotplate substrates fabricated by micromolding in capillaries

Small structures tuned in terms of moduli and vibrational damping for use, for example, in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) can be fabricated by soft lithography as an alternative to complex and expensive processes such as LIGA. The honeycomb structures produced consist of a metal or polymer core of variable geometry (see Fig.) sandwiched between two sheets of high tensile material to give structures with high strength-to-weight ratios.

Distributed feedback (DFB) laserswere made on silicon substrates by using elastomeric stamps to pattern dye-doped mesostructured silica into ridge waveguides with a grating on top. The emission spectra of the lasers have several peaks with a full width at half maximum of 0.3 nm (see Figure). The lasers were photopumped and had a lasing threshold intensity of ∼55 kW/cm2.

It is well established that polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamps submitted to an adequate plasma treatment spontaneously develop an ordered surface roughness. In this work, we show that thin layers made of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers can be patterned at the nanoscale using these buckled PDMS stamps. The structures accurately reproduce the self-assembled waves observed on the stamp surface after plasma treatment. We discuss the involved transfer of molecules from the stamp to the surface, which relies on molding rather than on printing. Self-assembled networks of lines made of dendrimers with submicrometric pitch can therefore be produced using this process at very low cost without any advanced lithography method for generating hard molds.

Protein immobilization on surfaces is useful in many areas of research, including biological characterization, antibody purification, and clinical diagnostics. A critical limitation in the development of protein microarrays and heterogeneous protein-based assays is the enormous amount of work and associated costs in the purification of proteins prior to their immobilization onto a surface. Methods to address this problem would simplify the development of interfacial diagnostics that use a protein as the recognition element. Herein, we describe an approach for the facile, site-specific immobilization of proteins on a surface without any preprocessing or sample purification steps that ligates an intein fusion protein at its C-terminus by reaction with a hydrazine group presented by a surface. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this methodology can directly immobilize a protein directly from cell lysate onto a protein-resistant surface. This methodology is also compatible with soft lithography and inkjet printing so that one or more proteins can be patterned on a surface without the need for purification.

Since the advent of microfabrication technology and soft lithography, the lab-on-a-chip concept has emerged as a state-of-the-art miniaturized tool for conducting the multiple functions associated with micro total analyses of nucleic acids, in series, in a seamless manner with a miniscule volume of sample. The enhanced surface-to-volume ratio inside a microchannel enables fast reactions owing to increased heat dissipation, allowing rapid amplification. For this reason, PCR has been one of the first applications to be miniaturized in a portable format. However, the nature of the basic working principle for microscale PCR, such as the complicated temperature controls and use of a thermal cycler, has hindered its total integration with other components into a micro total analyses systems (μTAS). This review (with 179 references) surveys the diverse forms of PCR microdevices constructed on the basis of different working principles and evaluates their performances. The first two main sections cover the state-of-the-art in chamber-type PCR microdevices and in continuous-flow PCR microdevices. Methods are then discussed that lead to microdevices with upstream sample purification and downstream detection schemes, with a particular focus on rapid on-site detection of foodborne pathogens. Next, the potential for miniaturizing and automating heaters and pumps is examined. The review concludes with sections on aspects of complete functional integration in conjunction with nanomaterial based sensing, a discussion on future prospects, and with conclusions. Graphical abstract In recent years, thermocycler-based PCR systems have been miniaturized to palm-sized, disposable polymer platforms. In addition, operational accessories such as heaters and mechanical pumps have been simplified to realize semi-automatted stand-alone portable biomedical diagnostic microdevices that are directly applicable in the field. This review summarizes the progress made and the current state of this field.

Reverse contrast and substructures in protein micro-patterns on 3D polymer surfaces

Preface

Blood group analysis has evolved from conventional "test-tube" to ingenious "lab-on-a-chip" micro/paper-fluidic devices for identifying blood phenotypes. Despite the rapid and economical fabrication of these devices, they require Whatman paper that is obtained by cutting down trees and plastic usage involving complex and sophisticated facilities, making scalable manufacturing laborious and expensive. Most importantly, deforestation and plastic incineration pose great threats to the biotic and abiotic environments. Here, we have developed a blood grouping strip utilizing fish-scale waste and household cardboard-waste generated origami as an affordable and sustainable strategy. The naturally inherited hydrophilicity of fish scale with a contact angle of 89° could succinctly auto-stabilize low-volume antisera without the aid of additives. Moreover, unlike paperfluidics, antisera absorption, as well as RBC-antisera agglutination upon blood introduction, happens on the spot with no capillary wicking. The merits of our technique are: it requires a low amount of blood (3 μL), eliminates additional image processing and assays, is equipment-free, and aids accurate blood typing as a visual hemagglutination readout. Additionally, a high tensile strength of ∼85 ± 5 MPa and the shelf-endurance of the bio-disc allowed us to use the simplest cardboard origami as a shield, obviating plastic and fiber generated fancy shields, making our device portable and simultaneously biodegradable. Our novel bio-disc blood analysis was tested with anonymous blood samples (n = 200), with an accuracy comparable to a standard blood group assay. This zero-cost paper, plastic-free eco-friendly blood group analyser derived from biodegradable food and cardboard waste as a resourceful technique has huge potential in various sensors and point-of-care diagnostics, especially in impoverished areas with limited or no lab facilities.

A recent assessment by the National Transportation Operations Collation revealed unsatisfactory performance of a number of traffic signal operation areas and an overall score of D- for the nation’s traffic signals. This poor rating affects commuters nationwide and contributes to traffic congestion. Numerous traffic simulation models have been developed to analyze more complex transportation facilities. However, these models may have some shortcomings in accurately modeling complex traffic signal controller functions (which could have a drastic effect on operations). Hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS), which replaces a simulation’s signal control logic with actual controller hardware, allows advanced signal functionality to be tested and analyzed. Moreover, this simulation process opens new research areas in traffic controller functionality. This paper discusses the development of a controller interface device (CID) by the Advanced Traffic Analysis Center (ATAC) to support HILS. This CID improves upon existing devices in a number of ways, including: it works with the VISSIM traffic simulation model, uses current off-the-shelf technology, more cost effective, easy to setup and use, small in size, and its Ethernet connectivity allows it to communicate with CIDs/controllers virtually anywhere in the world.

Microcontact printing of copper and polypyrrole on fluoropolymers