+EFFICIENT +STRUCTURED +ECONOMICAL
Classic lithography and etching techniques for the preparation of nanostructured surfaces are expensive. Professor Bélanger’s team perfected an alternate preparation method based on the self-organizing properties of polystyrene beads on gold or glassy carbon surfaces. As this layer of beads plays the role of lithographic mask, the parts that are not masked can be functionalized by electrochemical grafting. The second phase consists in washing the polystyrene beads and replacing them by an electroplated metal, thus leading to a hybrid metal/organic structured surface. This method also offers the possibility of developing structured hybrid surfaces consisting of 2 types of molecules, chemical or biochemical, opening the way for the creation of ultraminiaturized biosensors.
REFERENCE
[1] B.P. Corgier, D. Bélanger, Langmuir, 26 (8), 5991–5997 (2010)
RESEARCHER
Pr. D. Bélanger