Solvent-assisted micromolding

In order to reduce the adhesion between a polymeric mold and a silicon/quartz master, the master surface is typically modified with a fluorosilane e.g., CF3(CF2)6(CH2)2SiCl3(g)). In addition, the final removal of the mold may also be carried out in the presence of a liquid with a low viscosity such as methanol (solvent-assisted micromolding (SAMIM)). 

The PRINT technique is analogous to micromolding in capillaries (MMIC) or solvent-assisted micromolding (SAMIM), with the use of perfluorinated polymers rather than silicones (Figure 4.72). The use of PFPE instead of PDMS molds offers the following benefits (Figure 4.73) ... 

Figure 4.72. Schematic of soft lithographic procedures for (a) replica molding (REM), (b) microtransfer molding (pTM), (c) micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC), and (d) solvent-assisted micromolding (SAMIM). Reproduced with permission from Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 1998, 37, 550. Copyright 1998 Wiley-VCH.

Figure 3.5 Schematic of the experimentai procedure of solvent-assisted dewetting micromolding water evaporates oniy from the edge ofthe mold due to the impermeable nature of the PDMS mold to water. The pile-up of...

The soft elastomeric stamp can be used either as a vehicle for biomolecular surface patterning (an application called microcontact printing (p.CP)) or to create three dimensional reliefs, particularly on polymer materials, as in micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC), microtransfer molding (pTM) or solvent-assisted molding. These techniques have been successfully applied in the fabrication of polymer patterns with dimensions down to the sub-100 nm scale and will be described in this chapter. These patterns have found many relevant applications in the life sciences, where scientists often need to spatially control topographical and chemical properties of surfaces at small scales [1, 5, 6]. 

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