Non-patterned Substrates Research Articles

Density-controlled electrochemical synthesis of ZnO nanowire arrays using nanotextured cathode

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires fabricated via wet chemical synthesis on flexible polymer substrates are inherently unstable against mechanical bending stress because of their high density and weak adhesion to the substrate. We introduce a novel method for controlling the density of such ZnO nanowire arrays using a three-dimensional corrugated metal substrate. These metal substrates, featuring extruded and recessed patterns fabricated via nanoimprint lithography, were employed as cathodes during the electrochemical deposition of ZnO nanowire arrays. The ZnO nanowire arrays synthesized on the patterned metal thin film exhibited smaller diameters and lower densities compared to those on non-patterned metal films. This reduction in density can be attributed to aligned nucleation and limited growth on the patterned metal surface. Crucially, ZnO nanowires synthesized on patterned metal substrates displayed remarkable mechanical robustness against external forces, a direct consequence of their reduced density. In contrast, nanowires synthesized on non-patterned metal substrates were broken under mechanical bending. Detailed morphological analyses performed after mechanical bending tests confirm that ZnO nanowires synthesized on nanoimprinted metal electrodes exhibited enhanced mechanical characteristics compared to those on non-patterned metal electrodes. These findings clearly demonstrate the promise of utilizing density-controlled ZnO nanowires in piezoelectric devices.

Advancing Glucose Sensing Through Auto-Fluorescent Polymer Brushes: From Surface Design to Nano-Arrays.

Designing smart (bio)interfaces with the capability to sense and react to changes in local environments offers intriguing possibilities for new surface-based sensing devices and technologies. Polymer brushes make ideal materials to design such adaptive and responsive interfaces given their large variety of functional and structural possibilities as well as their outstanding abilities to respond to physical, chemical, and biological stimuli. Herein, a practical sensory interface for glucose detection based on auto-fluorescent polymer brushes decorated with phenylboronic acid (PBA) receptors is presented. The glucose-responsive luminescent surfaces, which are capable of translating conformational transitions triggered by pH variations and binding events into fluorescent readouts without the need for fluorescent dyes, are grown from both nanopatterned and non-patterned substrates. Two-photon laser scanning confocal microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses reveal the relationship between the brush conformation and glucose concentration and confirm that the phenylboronic acid functionalized brushes can bind glucose over a range of physiologically relevant concentrations in a reversible manner. The combination of auto-fluorescent polymer brushes with synthetic receptors presents a promising avenue for designing innovative and robust sensing systems, which are essential for various biomedical applications, among other uses.

Photolithographically Patterned Cell-Repellent PEG-b-PTHPMA Diblock Copolymer for Guided Cell Adhesion and Growth.

Surfaces for guided cell adhesion and growth are indispensable in several diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Towards this direction, four diblock copolymers comprising polyethylene glycol (PEG) and poly(2-tetrahydropyranyl methacrylate) (PTHPMA) are synthesized employing PEG macroinitiators of different chain lengths. The copolymer with a 5000Da PEG block and a PEG-PTHPMA comonomers weight ratio of 43-57 provides a film with the highest stability in the culture medium and the strongest cell repellent properties. This copolymer is used to develop a positive photolithographic material and create stripe patterns onto silicon substrates. The highest selectivity regarding smooth muscle cell adhesion and growth and the highest fidelity of adhered cells for up to 3 days in culture is achieved for stripe patterns with widths between 25 and 27.5µm. Smooth muscle cells cultured on such patterned substrates exhibit a decrease in their proliferation rate and nucleus area and an increase in their major axis length, compared to the cells cultured onto non-patterned substrates. These alterations are indicative of the adoption of a contractile rather than a synthetic phenotype of the smooth muscle cells grown onto the patterned substrates and demonstrate the potential of the novel photolithographic material and patterning method for guided cell adhesion and growth.

MBE-Grown Hybrid Axial Core–Shell n-i-p GaAsSb Heterojunction Ensemble Nanowire-Based Near-Infrared Photodetectors up to 1.5 μm

In this paper, high-performance self-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown conventional core–shell (C–S) n-i-p GaAsSb nanowires (NWs) and a novel hybrid axial C–S n-i-p GaAsSb ensemble NW-based near-infrared photodetector (NIRPD) on nonpatterned Si substrate are demonstrated. The conventional room-temperature (RT) C–S n-i-p GaAsSb NW with a high responsivity of 190 A/W and a higher detectivity of 1.1 × 1014 Jones at −1 V bias and wavelength of 1.1 μm is reported by optimizing the intrinsic region thickness and appropriately compensating the intrinsic p-type behavior with n-dopant Te. Furthermore, hybrid axial C–S n-i-p GaAsSb has been band-gap-engineered for wavelength up to 1.5 μm, exhibiting responsivity of 18 A/W and detectivity of 1.1 × 1013 Jones operating at RT. In this hybrid design, we have combined both axial and radial intrinsic (i-) segments of different Sb% compositions to enhance the photoabsorption in the NIR region; hence, the photogenerated current and also the high-band-gap axial i-region help to suppress the trap-assisted tunneling mechanism, which is found to be advantageous over conventional C–S NW architectures. In addition, high rectification ratio from current–voltage (I–V) measurements, suppression of low-frequency noise, lack of 1/f noise, a low corner frequency of ∼2.5 Hz beyond which there is the presence of only frequency-independent white noise from low-frequency noise (LFN) measurements, and bias- and frequency-dependent capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements suggest the formation of a high-quality C–S junction in the hybrid structure. Thus, our findings reveal that the hybrid axial C–S NW architecture provides the flexibility of three-dimensional (3D) design, which offers an unprecedented prospect for expanding IRPD and other next-generation optoelectronic device applications.

Highly enhanced field emission from vertically aligned carbon nanotubes grown on a patterned substrate via non-lithographic method

In the present work, a silicon substrate has been patterned with a gold thin film of thickness 15 nm using thermal evaporation , followed by growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using thermal chemical vapor deposition . The effect of temperature on the growth of CNTs on Au patterned substrate is studied using Raman and Field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM). A significant change in the growth of the CNTs grown on Au film patterned substrate with temperature can be observed using SEM images. However, no significant change in the micro crystallinity of the films was observed. Field emission properties of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, grown at different temperatures, on gold film patterned substrate has been investigated. For the non-patterned substrate, for the CNT film grown at 900 °C, the current density comes out to be 8.0 mA/cm 2 @ 4.8V/μm, which increases to 14.6 mA/cm 2 in the case of CNT film grown on gold patterned substrate. The observed enhancement of nearly 180% in current density for the patterned substrate as compared to non-patterned silicon substrate is primarily attributed to the reduced electric field screening. The reduced screening is realized with the help of COMSOL simulation, showing a significant enhancement in the local electric field near edges. • Use of novel non- Lithographic technique to pattern CNT films. • Effect of temperature on the Growth of vertically aligned CNTs on patterned substrate. • Nearly 180% enhancement in Field emission current density for CNTs grown over patterned substrate at 900 °C. • Simulation based verification of enhancement in the Field emission properties due to reduced screening.

Ensemble GaAsSb/GaAs axial configured nanowire-based separate absorption, charge, and multiplication avalanche near-infrared photodetectors.

In this study, molecular beam epitaxially grown axially configured ensemble GaAsSb/GaAs separate absorption, charge, and multiplication (SACM) region-based nanowire avalanche photodetector device on non-patterned Si substrate is presented. Our device exhibits a low breakdown voltage (VBR) of ∼ −10 ± 2.5 V under dark, photocurrent gain (M) varying from 20 in linear mode to avalanche gain of 700 at VBR at a 1.064 μm wavelength. Positive temperature dependence of breakdown voltage ∼ 12.6 mV K−1 further affirms avalanche breakdown as the gain mechanism in our SACM NW APDs. Capacitance–voltage (C–V) and temperature-dependent noise characteristics also validated punch-through voltage ascertained from I–V measurements, and avalanche being the dominant gain mechanism in the APDs. The ensemble SACM NW APD device demonstrated a broad spectral room temperature response with a cut-off wavelength of ∼1.2 μm with a responsivity of ∼0.17–0.38 A W−1 at −3 V. This work offers a potential pathway toward realizing tunable nanowire-based avalanche photodetectors compatible with traditional Si technology.

Wettability Contrast in the Hexagonally Patterned Gold Substrate of Distinct Morphologies for Enhanced Fog Harvesting.

Inspired by the Stenocara beetle's hydrophobic-hydrophilic surface, we fabricated hexagonally patterned hydrophobic-hydrophilic surfaces consisting of silicon and gold regions using colloidal lithography and selective surface functionalization. We investigated surface wettability for different patterns (hexagonally ordered nanotriangles and nanoholes) and the influence of surface functionalization (octadecanethiol and 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid/octadecyltrichlorosilane (MHA/OTS)). The as-prepared patterned substrates exhibit hydrophilicity, which transforms to hydrophobicity after surface functionalization. The MHA/OTS functionalization results in maximum enhancement in the contact angle (114 ± 0.4°) with the least contact angle hysteresis (19 ± 2°). Fog harvesting studies show that the patterned substrate has a higher water collection rate, a factor of 1.32, than the nonpatterned substrates. A further enhancement in water collection (almost twice) is observed with selective functionalization. The patterned (nanohole) and functionalized (MHA/OTS) substrate facilitates rapid falling of droplets at a frequency of 20 mHz and an average droplet mass of 15 ± 2 mg/cm2. Furthermore, it yielded a maximum water collection rate of 1051 ± 132 mg cm-2 h-1. This work provides valuable insights into the influence of surface wettability and morphology for fog harvesting applications.

Impact of sandwiched strain periodic multilayer AlN/GaN on strain and crystalline quality of a-plane GaN

We demonstrated high-quality single crystalline a-plane undoped-gallium nitride grown on a nonpatterned r-plane sapphire substrate via metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. The effect of four different numbers of sandwiched strain-periodic AlN/GaN multilayers on the strain state, crystal quality, optical and electrical properties was investigated. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy showed that the surface morphology was improved upon insertion of 120 pairs of AlN/GaN thin layers with a root-mean-square roughness of 2.15 nm. On-axis X-ray ω-scan rocking curves showed enhanced crystalline quality: the full width at half maximum decreased from 1224 to 756 arcsec along the [0001] direction and from 2628 to 1360 arcsec along the [1–100] direction for a-GaN grown with 120 pairs of AlN/GaN compared to a-GaN without AlN/GaN pairs. Reciprocal space mapping showed that a-plane GaN with a high number of AlN/GaN pairs exhibits near-relaxation strain states. Room-temperature photoluminescence spectra showed that the sample with the highest number of AlN/GaN pairs exhibited the lowest-intensity yellow and blue luminescence bands, indicating a reduction in defects and dislocations. The a-plane InGaN/GaN LEDs with 120 pairs of SSPM-L AlN/GaN exhibited a significant increase (~ 250%) in light output power compared to that of LEDs without SSPM-L AlN/GaN pairs.

Patterned Superhydrophobic SERS Substrates for Sample Pre-Concentration and Demonstration of Its Utility through Monitoring of Inhibitory Effects of Paraoxon and Carbaryl on AChE.

We describe a patterned surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate with the ability to pre-concentrate target molecules. A surface-adsorbed nanosphere monolayer can serve two different functions. First, it can be made into a SERS platform when covered by silver. Alternatively, it can be fashioned into a superhydrophobic surface when coated with a hydrophobic molecular species such as decyltrimethoxy silane (DCTMS). Thus, if silver is patterned onto a latter type of substrate, a SERS spot surrounded by a superhydrophobic surface can be prepared. When an aqueous sample is placed on it and allowed to dry, target molecules in the sample become pre-concentrated. We demonstrate the utility of the patterned SERS substrate by evaluating the effects of inhibitors to acetylcholinesterase (AChE). AChE is a popular target for drugs and pesticides because it plays a critical role in nerve signal transduction. We monitored the enzymatic activity of AChE through the SERS spectrum of thiocholine (TC), the end product from acetylthiocholine (ATC). Inhibitory effects of paraoxon and carbaryl on AChE were evaluated from the TC peak intensity. We show that the patterned SERS substrate can reduce both the necessary volumes and concentrations of the enzyme and substrate by a few orders of magnitude in comparison to a non-patterned SERS substrate and the conventional colorimetric method.

Influence of micropatterned substrates on keratocyte phenotype

Substrate topographic patterning is a powerful tool that can be used to manipulate cell shape and orientation. To gain a better understanding of the relationship between surface topography and keratocyte behavior, surface patterns consisting of linear aligned or orthogonally aligned microchannels were used. Photolithography and polymer molding techniques were used to fabricate micropatterns on the surface of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Cells on linear aligned substrates were elongated and aligned in the channel direction, while cells on orthogonal substrates had a more spread morphology. Both linear and orthogonal topographies induced chromatin condensation and resulted in higher expressions of keratocyte specific genes and sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAG), compared with non-patterned substrates. However, despite differences in cell morphology and focal adhesions, many genes associated with a native keratocyte phenotype, such as keratocan and ALDH3A1, remain unchanged on the different patterned substrates. This information could be used to optimize substrates for keratocyte culture and to develop scaffolds for corneal regeneration.

Characteristics of Ga-doped ZnO thin-film ultraviolet photodetectors fabricated on patterned Si substrate

Ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors have demonstrated wide applications in both civil and military fields such as pollution monitoring and missile warning. ZnO-based UV photodetectors have attracted tremendous attention due to the advantages of low cost and high chemical and thermal stability. In this work, Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) films were grown with the technique of RF magnetron sputtering and metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) UV detectors were fabricated with the GZO films as the active detection layers. The as-sputtered films were further treated by the means of thermal annealing such that reduced oxygen vacancy and improved crystallization were achieved for the films. The effect of patterned Si substrates on the GZO UV detectors performance was revealed for the first time. With optimized annealing temperature and delicately designed substrate patterns, the responsibility of GZO MSM photodetectors has been greatly enhanced (e.g. about 2.5-folds higher than ones fabricated on non-patterned Si substrate). Our work on the GZO material and the structural design may pave a new way towards developing low-cost but high-performance UV detectors.

Enhanced osteodifferentiation of MSC spheroids on patterned electrospun fiber mats - An advanced 3D double strategy for bone tissue regeneration

2D cell culture has been widely developed with various micropatterning and microfabrication techniques over the past few decades for creating and controlling cellular microenvironments including cell–matrix interactions, cell–cell interactions, and bio-mimicking the in-vivo tissue hierarchy and functions. However, the drawbacks of 2D culture have currently paved the way to 3D cell culture which is considered clinically and biologically more relevant. Here we report a 3D double strategy for osteodifferentiation of MSC spheroids on nano- and micro-patterned PLGA/Collagen/nHAp electrospun fiber mats. A comparison of cell alignment, proliferation and differentiation of 2D and 3D MSCs on patterned and non-patterned substrate was done. The study demonstrates the synergistic effect of geometric cues and 3D culture on differentiation of MSC spheroids into osteogenic lineage even in absence of osteoinduction medium.

(Invited) High Accuracy Aligned Wafer Bonding for Wafer-Level Integration

Direct wafer bonding for SOI substrates manufacturing was probably the first volume production application based on bonding. As this application involves bonding of two non-patterned substrates the requirements for wafer-to-wafer alignment accuracy were very loose: mechanical (edge-to-edge) alignment with accuracies in the range of 50-100 µm was absolutely sufficient. For applications using other wafer bonding processes (the first sensors that were manufactured using glass frit bonding and anodic bonding) such rough alignment methods were still usable but in parallel optical alignment was adopted: in this case the alignment accuracy needs were going down to 5 – 20 µm. The increased device complexity of the applications which could benefit from wafer bonding advantages required for features from the bonding partners to be aligned to each other (either functional parts of the devices or structures necessary for the successful bonding process, such as bonding lines on both wafers): in such cases optical alignment became necessary and the technology progress was reflected also in more demanding requirements for the wafer-to-wafer optical alignment. For the early generations of these applications the required accuracy was still low, so it was possible to use adapted photolithography mask aligners. Later on, with higher accuracy requirements dedicated bond alignment systems were introduced in order to meet the tighter alignment specifications. With the adoption of direct (fusion) wafer bonding for backside illuminated (BSI) CMOS image sensors initially for consumer electronics this process found its way into the integration flow. For this application the device performance can be significantly improved by increasing the level of integration with the electronic components. For the first generations of devices the alignment accuracy was still not critical as one of the two substrates to be bonded did not have any electrically functional structures and optical alignment was required in order to guarantee a high yield for the patterning steps following the direct bonding and thinning of the CMOS image sensors wafer. This new application introduced a new requirement for direct bonding which was not considered before: besides the required alignment precision the need to simultaneously control the local wafer stress and deformation during the bonding process became crucial, as it leads to remaining distortion of the image sensor wafers. Patterns distortion causes problems with color filter manufacturing by subsequent stepper photolithography and ends up in cross talk between different colors. Especially for mobile devices the image sensors keep shrinking and combined with increasing the resolution at the same time the pixel sizes have reached levels where distortion levels below 50 nm are necessary. With further development of these image sensors also the second bonding partner wafer moved from the carrier wafer functionality to electrically active structures which required electrical connection to the image sensor wafer. Different integration schemes were developed, such as via last connection after the bonding where one wafer is thinned, vias are formed, which are subsequently filled with metal in order to achieve electrical connections. This paper aims to present an overview of the existing wafer-to-wafer alignment technology. The development of optical alignment methods will be reviewed with respect to applications requirements evolution over time. An overview of the different factors contributing to the overall misalignment budget and how they are controlled now or will be in the future in order to meet the stringent requirements will be presented with examples.

Mechanochemical Effects on Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Dynamics in Stem Cell Differentiation.

Understanding how key signaling molecules are coregulated by biochemical agents and physical stimuli during stem cell differentiation is critical but often lacking. Due to the important role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), this study has examined its temporal dynamics to determine the coregulation of mechanochemical cues on ERK phosphorylation for smooth muscle cell (SMC) differentiation. To assess ERK1/2 activity, a fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based biosensor was transfected into mesenchymal stem cells. The influences of nanopatterned substrates, growth factors, and drugs on ERK activities were related to their effects on SMC differentiation. Results revealed that nanopatterned substrates significantly increased ERK activity in cells, overriding ERK response from administered biochemical factors. The nanopatterned substrates reduced expression of SMC markers after a 48-h biochemical treatment, except for the combination with ERK inhibitor PD98059 treatment, which enhanced expression of mature SMC marker MYH11. Immunofluorescent staining for focal adhesion proteins, vinculin and zyxin, indicated no significant differences in vinculin cluster distribution or dimension, while the location of zyxin changed from adhesion sites of cell periphery on nonpatterned substrate to actin filaments on nanopatterned substrate. The zyxin-reinforced stress fibers likely enhanced the cytoskeletal tension to increase ERK dynamics. Collectively, results suggest that physical stimuli play a dominating role in initial ERK signaling and early-stage differentiation through focal adhesion changes, and the capability of monitoring signaling events in real time could be exploited to guide the engineering of cell microenvironment.

Effect of Topographical Feature Size on the Trend of Cell Behaviors

Since the adaptation of surface topography in the biomedical engineering field, its promising ability in the modulation of cell behaviors and functions has been highlighted by comparing the cell behaviors on patterned and nonpatterned substrates. However, growing evidence indicates that not only the topography itself but also its size can significantly affect the cell behaviors and functions. In this review, the effect of topographical feature size on the biointerface-mediated control of cell behavior is overviewed. The cell behaviors such as migration, differentiation, cell reprogramming, cell phenotype, and transfection, in general, showed two representative trends: biphasic and monotonic as the feature size changed. Based on the observations, we suggest that the sophisticated design of geometrical feature size might be a key regulator on the control of cell behaviors and functions.

Heterogeneous Integration of Microscale GaN Light‐Emitting Diodes and Their Electrical, Optical, and Thermal Characteristics on Flexible Substrates

AbstractMaterials and device strategies to form inorganic, thin‐film, microscale light‐emitting diodes (micro‐LEDs) are presented based on a simplified release method. High performance gallium nitride based blue micro‐LEDs are fabricated on and released from both patterned sapphire substrates (PSSs) and conventional nonpatterned sapphire substrates (CSSs). Micro‐LEDs are transferred onto copper and polyimide based flexible substrates and their electrical and optical performances are maintained. Thermal properties of PSS and CSS based micro‐LEDs are systematically explored on different substrates. Finally, micro‐LEDs combined with phosphor coatings demonstrate capability for polychromatic emission. The techniques presented here provide promising paths to advanced light sources with potential applications in lighting, displays, and biomedicine.

Matrix Topographical Cue-Mediated Myogenic Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Derivatives.

Biomaterials varying in physical properties, chemical composition and biofunctionalities can be used as powerful tools to regulate skeletal muscle-specific cellular behaviors, including myogenic differentiation of progenitor cells. Biomaterials with defined topographical cues (e.g., patterned substrates) can mediate cellular alignment of progenitor cells and improve myogenic differentiation. In this study, we employed soft lithography techniques to create substrates with microtopographical cues and used these substrates to study the effect of matrix topographical cues on myogenic differentiation of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived mesodermal progenitor cells expressing platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA). Our results show that the majority (>80%) of PDGFRA+ cells on micropatterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates were aligned along the direction of the microgrooves and underwent robust myogenic differentiation compared to those on non-patterned surfaces. Matrix topography-mediated alignment of the mononucleated cells promoted their fusion resulting in mainly (~86%–93%) multinucleated myotube formation. Furthermore, when implanted, the cells on the micropatterned substrates showed enhanced in vivo survival (>5–7 times) and engraftment (>4–6 times) in cardiotoxin-injured tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of NOD/SCID mice compared to cells cultured on corresponding non-patterned substrates.

Enhanced field emission properties from carbon nanotube emitters on the nanopatterned substrate

The authors investigated the field emission characteristics of printed carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on KOVAR substrates with micro- and nanosize line patterns. Microsized line patterns were fabricated using photolithography techniques followed by an inductive coupled plasma-reactive ion etching process, and laser interference lithography techniques were used to fabricate uniform nanosized patterns over a relatively large area. CNTs were printed on the patterned substrate using a screen printing method. The field emission characteristics of each patterned substrate were compared to those of a nonpatterned substrate. Results revealed that varying the pattern size has an influence on the field emission characteristics. The reduction of the pattern size results in an increase in the total surface area. This surface patterning is found to provide additional areas for CNTs to adhere to the substrates, which, in turn, results in better adhesion of CNTs. As the size of the pattern is reduced, the field emission properties are improved. Specifically, substrates with nanosized patterns exhibited both the lowest turn-on field and the highest field enhancement factor (β).

Effects of a micro pattern on Cu alloy electrodeposition and its application as an oil detector

In this study, the effects of open area ratio (OAR) variations by micro-patterns on Cu alloy electrodeposition were analyzed experimentally. To change the OAR of the samples, a strip-type micro-pattern was formed on a substrate through a photolithography process. Moreover, the OAR was controlled by adjusting the distance of the stripe pattern to a width of 20 μm. When electrodeposition was applied on a non-patterned substrate with an OAR of 100%, a pillar-type Cu alloy structure was produced. In addition, when the OAR was decreased to 40%, the height of the Cu alloy structures was increased. However, when the OAR was decreased to 20%, no electrodeposited structures were formed. To confirm the industrial effectiveness of the electrodeposited structures on a micro-pattern, the Cu alloy electrodeposited structures were applied to the formation of an oil detector.

Spatial Geometries of Self-Assembled Chitohexaose Monolayers Regulate Myoblast Fusion.

Myoblast fusion into functionally-distinct myotubes to form in vitro skeletal muscle constructs under differentiation serum-free conditions still remains a challenge. Herein, we report that our microtopographical carbohydrate substrates composed of bioactive hexa-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc6) modulated the efficiency of myoblast fusion without requiring horse serum or any differentiation medium during cell culture. Promotion of the differentiation of dissociated mononucleated skeletal myoblasts (C2C12; a mouse myoblast cell line) into robust myotubes was found only on GlcNAc6 micropatterns, whereas the myoblasts on control, non-patterned GlcNAc6 substrates or GlcNAc6-free patterns exhibited an undifferentiated form. We also examined the possible role of GlcNAc6 micropatterns with various widths in the behavior of C2C12 cells in early and late stages of myogenesis through mRNA expression of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms. The spontaneous contraction of myotubes was investigated via the regulation of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4), which is involved in stimulating glucose uptake during cellular contraction. Narrow patterns demonstrated enhanced glucose uptake rate and generated a fast-twitch muscle fiber type, whereas the slow-twitch muscle fiber type was dominant on wider patterns. Our findings indicated that GlcNAc6-mediated integrin interactions are responsible for guiding myoblast fusion forward along with myotube formation.