Patterned polymer microgel and method of forming same
First Claim
1. A patterned polymer microgel, comprising a polymer film and a substrate on which said polymer film is supported, said polymer film including a superficial pattern having details in the submicron range and a non-patterned portion outside of said superficial pattern, said superficial pattern being distinguished from said non-patterned portion by a distinguishing property.
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Abstract
Surface-patterned microgels are formed by treating polymer films like electron-beam photoresists, but without destroying or removing the patterned microgels from their substrate. Focused electron beams are used to create patterned microgels on surfaces where the enhanced spatial resolution can be exploited to create gels with characteristic length scales relevant to cellular and sub-cellular processes. Varying the beam intensity allows control of the concentration of proteins that adhere to the resulting microgel. The process can be used to precisely locate the adhesive junction between cells and a substrate and to confine cell growth within defined areas.
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Citations
35 Claims
- 1. A patterned polymer microgel, comprising a polymer film and a substrate on which said polymer film is supported, said polymer film including a superficial pattern having details in the submicron range and a non-patterned portion outside of said superficial pattern, said superficial pattern being distinguished from said non-patterned portion by a distinguishing property.
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17. A method of making a patterned polymer microgel, comprising the steps of:
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forming a dry polymer film on a substrate; and
exposing a portion of the dry polymer film to a source of electron radiation under high vacuum so as to form a pattern of exposed polymer film within the portion of the dry polymer film. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of controlling protein adsorption on a polymer film, comprising the steps of:
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forming a dry polymer film on a substrate, said polymer film being resistant to the adsorption of proteins;
exposing a portion of the dry polymer film to a source of electron radiation under high vacuum so as to form a pattern of highly cross-linked polymer film within the portion of dry polymer film; and
contacting the dry polymer film with a medium containing a protein, whereby the protein adsorbs to the pattern of highly cross-linked polymer film. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of controlling cell adhesion on a polymer film, comprising the steps of:
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forming a dry polymer film on a substrate, said polymer film being resistant to cell adhesion;
exposing a portion of the dry polymer film to a source of electron radiation under high vacuum so as to form a pattern of highly cross-linked polymer film within the portion of dry polymer film; and
contacting the dry polymer film with a medium having cells therein, whereby a cell adheres to the highly cross-linked polymer film within the pattern. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35)
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Specification