Polydimethylsiloxane Micropillars Research Articles

Ladybug-inspired hierarchical composite adhesives for enhanced surface adaptability

Abstract Enhanced adhesion on rough surfaces is highly desired for a wide range of applications. On the other hand, surface roughness compatibility and structure stability are two critical but competing factors for biologically-inspired dry adhesives in the real world. Inspired by ladybug, a hierarchical structural composite dry adhesive (denoted as PP-M) with enhanced robustness on surface roughness is developed, which is composed of a thin compliant contact layer (a thin soft polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film supported discretely by PDMS micropillars) and a rigid bottom layer magnetorheological elastomers (MREs). The PP-M shows a high pull-off strength of 8.2 N cm−2 on a smooth surface and nano-scale rough surface at a mild preload (2 N cm−2). For micro-scale rough surfaces, the PP-M exhibits better surface adaptability compared to the double-layered adhesive (PDMS on MRE) without micropillar support. The increased compliance of the contact layer also leads to a 2.11 fold superior pull-off strength at a wider range of roughness (Sq > 2.23 μm). Element analysis confirms PP-M’s enhanced adaptability, attributed to deeper indentation and lower contact stress. This hierarchical composite structure in PP-M, characterized by a ‘soft on top and hard on bottom’ stiffness distribution, synergizes the flexible contact layer with the stiff MRE bottom layer, leading to superior adhesive properties. The results provide a new reference for achieving enhanced adhesion on rough surfaces.

Wide-Size Range and High Robustness Self-Assembly Micropillars for Capturing Microspheres.

Capillary force driven self-assembly micropillars (CFSA-MP) holds immense promise for the manipulation and capture of cells/tiny objects, which has great demands of wide size range and high robustness. Here, we propose a novel method to fabricate size-adjustable and highly robust CFSA-MP that can achieve wide size range and high stability to capture microspheres. First, we fabricate a microholes template with an adjustable aspect ratio using the spatial-temporal shaping femtosecond laser double-pulse Bessel beam-assisted chemical etching technique, and then the micropillars with adjustable aspect ratio are demolded by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). We fully demonstrated the advantages of the Bessel optical field by using the spatial-temporal shaping femtosecond laser double-pulse Bessel beams to broaden the height range of the micropillars, which in turn expands the size range of the captured microspheres, and finally achieving a wide range of capturing microspheres with a diameter of 5-410 μm. Based on the inverted mold technology, the PDMS micropillars have ultrahigh mechanical robustness, which greatly improves the durability. CFSA-MP has the ability to capture tiny objects with wide range and high stability, which indicates great potential applications in the fields of chemistry, biomedicine, and microfluidics.

Sliding characteristics of bioinspired polydimethylsiloxane micropillars under bending states

Surface micropillars of soft material, inspired by biological structures, are widely designed and applicated to flexible electronics and micro/nano-robots. The surface micropillars trends to be bent during the sliding process. Herein, sliding characteristics of hexagonal polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillars under different bending states and micropillar numbers were investigated. Finite element and dynamic friction models were introduced to analyse the sliding mechanism. The friction coefficient can be adjusted by the bending states of the PDMS micropillar. The sliding characteristic is an elongating-rebounding process. The elongating process is divided into two stages (creep and peel), and the rebounding process is divided into two stages (slip and stick). The condition for mass-belt detachment is established based on the dynamic friction model.

Effects of Corona Treatment on Cellular Attachment and Morphology on Polydimethylsiloxane Micropillar Substrates

Effects of Corona Treatment on Cellular Attachment and Morphology on Polydimethylsiloxane Micropillar Substrates

Three-Dimensional Soft Material Micropatterning via Grayscale Photolithography for Improved Hydrophobicity of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

In this present work, we aim to improve the hydrophobicity of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface. Various heights of 3D PDMS micropillars were fabricated via grayscale photolithography, and improved wettability was investigated. Two approaches of PDMS replication were demonstrated, both using a single master mold to obtain the micropillar arrays. The different heights of fabricated PDMS micropillars were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a surface profiler. The surface hydrophobicity was characterized by measuring the water contact angles. The fabrication of PDMS micropillar arrays was shown to be effective in modifying the contact angles of pure water droplets with the highest 157.3-degree water contact angle achieved by implementing a single mask grayscale lithography technique.

Use of liquid lithography to form in vitro intestinal crypts with varying microcurvature surrounding the stem cell niche

Objective. The role of the crypt microarchitecture and surrounding tissue curvature on intestinal stem/proliferative cell physiology is unknown. The utility of liquid lithography in creating polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillar stamps with controlled tip curvature was assessed. Using these stamps, the impact of microcurvature at the crypt base on intestinal cell and cytoskeletal behavior was studied. Approach. An SU-8 master mold as a support, polyols of varying surface energies as sacrificial liquids, and liquid PDMS as the solidifiable material were combined using liquid lithography to form PDMS micropillar arrays. Vapor phase deposition of organosilane onto the master mold was used to modify the surface energy of the master mold to shape the micropillar tips. Collagen was molded using the micropillar arrays forming a scaffold for culture of human primary colonic epithelial cells. Cell proliferation and cytoskeletal properties were assessed using fluorescent stains. Main results. Liquid lithography using low surface energy polyols (<55 dynes cm−1) generated convex-tipped PDMS micropillars, while polyols with higher surface energies (>55 dynes cm−1) yielded concave-tipped PDMS micropillars. Gradients of octyltrichlorosilane deposition across a master mold with an array of microwells yielded a PDMS micropillar array with a range of tip curvatures. Human primary colonic epithelial cells cultured on micropillar-molded collagen scaffolds demonstrated a stem/proliferative cell compartment at the crypt base. Crypts with a convex base demonstrated significantly lower cell proliferation at the crypt base than that of cells in crypts with either flat or concave bases. Crypts with a convex base also displayed higher levels of G-actin activity compared to that of crypts with flat or concave bases. Significance. Liquid lithography enabled creation of arrays of in vitro colonic crypts with programmable curvature. Primary cells at the crypt base sensed and responded to surface curvature by altering their proliferation and cytoskeletal properties.

A novel technique to fabricate magnetic polydimethylsiloxane micropillar

AbstractIn past decades, polymeric micropillars have been employed in many complex functional micro‐devices, such as micro‐fluids, micro‐sensors, tunable wetting surfaces, and substrate structures. This paper presents a novel technique to fabricate high‐aspect‐ratio magnetic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillars that can move under gradient magnetic fields. First, a drop of Fe3O4 superparamagnetic nanoparticles was dispersed in acetone solution, sonicated, and poured over a pre‐etch silicon mold with deep micro‐holes. Second, we quickly attracted Fe3O4 nanoparticles in micro‐holes with a strong permanent magnet at the silicon mold's backside. Third, we used a soft lithography process to force the PDMS liquid to flow into the micro‐holes by sequencing the air in a vacuum chamber, baked in a hot plate, and then peeled off in ethanol solution and dried in a CO2 dryer machine. The diameters of PDMS magnetic micropillars were from 1 μm, 2 μm to 10 μm, and the heights were 30 μm and 50 μm. We observed 1 μm micropillar with 50 aspect ratio could deflect its end up to 12 μm under a gradient magnetic field of 5 mT/mm. The magnetic micropillar end movement in an ethanol solution was validated, which broads the application to micro‐fluidics and other liquid microdevices. The energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy also examined the iron percentage in PDMS micropillars. They were in a range of 42% to 81.4%; with the median value was 59.6% that is the highest value reported in the literature, to our best knowledge.

Effects of Substrate Stiffness on Morphology and MMP-1 Gene Expression in Tenocytes Stimulated With Interleukin-1β.

Tendon cells, tenocytes, are constantly subjected to mechanical stress in vivo, which maintains a level of cellular tension. When a tendon is subjected to overloading, local rupture of collagen fibers are induced, which deprives tenocytes of mechanical stress, lowers their cellular tension level and upregulates their catabolism. In addition, leukocytes are attracted to the rupture sites and produce interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and this exogenous IL-1β also stimulates tenocyte catabolism. We tested a hypothesis that catabolic tenocytes with low cellular tension at the rupture sites excessively respond to the exogenous IL-1β and further upregulate matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) gene expression. Tenocytes from rabbit Achilles tendon were cultured on the following substrates: glass or polydimethylsiloxane micropillar substrates with a height of 2, 4, or 8 µm. Following a 3-day IL-1β stimulation at a concentration of 0, 1, 10, or 100 pM, the effects of IL-1β stimulation on cell morphology and MMP-1 gene expression was analysed with fluorescent microscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridization, respectively. In addition, the effects of IL-1β stimulation on cell membrane fluidity were examined. It was demonstrated that the cells on 8-µm-height micropillars exhibited a greater response than those on rigid substrates with flat (glass) and topologically the same surface (2-µm-height micropillars) to IL-1β when supplied at the same concentration. Besides this, membrane fluidity was lower in the cells on micropillars. Therefore, it appears that cellular attachment to softer substrates lowers the cellular actin cortex tension, reducing the membrane fluidity and possibly elevating the sensitivity of IL-1 receptors to ligand binding. © 2019 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 38:150-159, 2020.

Immobilized Polydiacetylene Lipid Vesicles on Polydimethylsiloxane Micropillars as a Surfactin-Based Label-Free Bacterial Sensor Platform

Accurate detection and sensing of bacteria are becoming increasingly important not only in microbiology but in a variety of fields including medicine, food, public health, and environmental science. However, even new rapid methods are not convenient enough. Here, we describe a simple and efficient label-free bacterial detection system using the polydiacetylene (PDA) liposomes immobilized on the 3D polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillars. Our system utilizes the colorimetric response of amine functionalized PDA vesicles to surfactin, a bacterial cyclic lipopeptide commonly released by Gram-positive Bacillus species as an antibiotic. To improve the sensitivity of PDA vesicles to surfactin by increasing the number and surface area of immobilized vesicles, the PDA vesicles were immobilized on the micropillar structure to give a hierarchical 3D PDA vesicle structure. For the fabrication of the 3D micropillar structure, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was used to overcome the limitations imposed by silicon-based fabrication. In contrast to the 2D-PDA-PDMS system, which could only hardly detect the presence of 500 µM surfactin, the 3D-PDA-PDMS system could efficiently detect the presence of 5 µM surfactin and the initial presence of 4 x 101 cells/ml of Bacillus subtilis NCIB3610, which actively produces surfactin. Furthermore, bacterial strains that are known to produce no surfactin, such as Staphylococcus aureus Newman, Escherichia coli DH5, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 were not detected by our system suggesting that the 3D-PDA-PDMS system is highly specific to surfactin but not to other chemicals produced by bacteria. Taken together, our results suggest that the 3D-PDA-PDMS system can sensitively and selectively be used for the high throughput detection and screening of biotechnologically important surfactin-producing bacterial strains.

Wettability modification of polydimethylsiloxane surface by fabricating micropillar and microhole arrays

Fabrication of microscale surface structures is a promising method for controlling the surface wettability of materials. Herein, the micropillar and microhole arrays of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were fabricated through a soft lithography process, and the modified wettability was investigated. Using PDMS samples with different degrees of crosslinking, a PDMS–PDMS pattern transfer was achieved, and the microhole and micropillar arrays were obtained from a single master substrate. The surface geometries of the prepared PDMS samples were characterized via scanning electron microscopy and laser scanning microscopy. It was demonstrated that the PDMS micropillar and microhole arrays were effective in changing the contact angles of liquids with different surface tensions (water, ethylene glycol, olive oil, and hexadecane). The measured contact angles of the liquids on a PDMS micropillar array were quantitatively interpreted in both the wetting and repellent regimes based on the Cassie-Baxter model.

Stress-strain relationship of PDMS micropillar for force measurement application

There is an increasing interest to use polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based materials as bio-transducers for force measurements in the order of micro to nano Newton. The accuracy of these devices relies on appropriate material characterization of PDMS and modelling to convert the micropillar deformations into the corresponding forces. Previously, we have reported on fabricated PDMS micropillar that acts as a cylindrical cantilever and was experimentally used to measure the force of the nematode C. elegans . In this research, similar PDMS micropillars are designed and simulated using ANSYS software. The simulation involves investigating two main factors that is expected to affect the force measurement performance; pillar height and diameter. Results show that the deformation increases when pillar height is increased and the deformation is inversely proportional to the pillar diameter. The maximum deformation obtained is 713 um with pillar diameter of 20 um and pillar height of 100 um. Results of stress and strain show similar pattern, where their values decreases as pillar diameter and height is increased. The simulated results are also compared with the calculated displacement. The trend for both calculated and simulated values are similar with 13% average difference.

Biomechanical Characterization of Cardiomyocyte Using PDMS Pillar with Microgrooves.

This paper describes the surface-patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pillar arrays for enhancing cell alignment and contraction force in cardiomyocytes. The PDMS micropillar (μpillar) arrays with microgrooves (μgrooves) were fabricated using a unique micro-mold made using SU-8 double layer processes. The spring constant of the μpillar arrays was experimentally confirmed using atomic force microscopy (AFM). After culturing cardiac cells on the two different types of μpillar arrays, with and without grooves on the top of μpillar, the characteristics of the cardiomyocytes were analyzed using a custom-made image analysis system. The alignment of the cardiomyocytes on the μgrooves of the μpillars was clearly observed using a DAPI staining process. The mechanical force generated by the contraction force of the cardiomyocytes was derived from the displacement of the μpillar arrays. The contraction force of the cardiomyocytes aligned on the μgrooves was 20% higher than that of the μpillar arrays without μgrooves. The experimental results prove that applied geometrical stimulus is an effective method for aligning and improving the contraction force of cardiomyocytes.

Stretchable Array of Highly Sensitive Pressure Sensors Consisting of Polyaniline Nanofibers and Au-Coated Polydimethylsiloxane Micropillars.

We report on the facile fabrication of a stretchable array of highly sensitive pressure sensors. The proposed pressure sensor consists of the top layer of Au-deposited polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillars and the bottom layer of conductive polyaniline nanofibers on a polyethylene terephthalate substrate. The sensors are operated by the changes in contact resistance between Au-coated micropillars and polyaniline according to the varying pressure. The fabricated pressure sensor exhibits a sensitivity of 2.0 kPa(-1) in the pressure range below 0.22 kPa, a low detection limit of 15 Pa, a fast response time of 50 ms, and high stability over 10000 cycles of pressure loading/unloading with a low operating voltage of 1.0 V. The sensor is also capable of noninvasively detecting human-pulse waveforms from carotid and radial artery. A 5 × 5 array of the pressure sensors on the deformable substrate, which consists of PDMS islands for sensors and the mixed thin film of PDMS and Ecoflex with embedded liquid metal interconnections, shows stable sensing of pressure under biaxial stretching by 15%. The strain distribution obtained by the finite element method confirms that the maximum strain applied to the pressure sensor in the strain-suppressed region is less than 0.04% under a 15% biaxial strain of the unit module. This work demonstrates the potential application of our proposed stretchable pressure sensor array for wearable and artificial electronic skin devices.

Oleophobicity of Biomimetic Micropatterned Surface and Its Effect on the Adhesion of Frozen Oil.

The relationship between the oleophobicity of micropatterned surfaces and the reduction of oil adhesion at low temperatures was explored by using siloxane elastomer surfaces as a model system. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces were fabricated with varying oleophobicity from oleophilic to superoleophobic by combing the blending of trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)silane (FDTS) into PDMS with the construction of bioinspired micropillars. The oil contact angles of micropillars were >130°, with the largest contact angle measured to be 146°. The micropillared surface showed remarkable self-cleaning properties; the contact angle hysteresis was <15°. The transparent oil droplets on PDMS surfaces of varied oleophobicity were frozen into a white-colored solid at -25 °C with the aid of a cooling system. Adhesion forces of the frozen oil droplets were obtained from the knock-off tests, showing that the adhesion forces dropped with the increased oleophobicity. The largest adhesion force was observed on the oleophilic flat surface, while the lowest adhesion force was on the highest oleophobic micropillared surface. The relative effectiveness of chemical and physical modifications on adhesion strength reduction was studied in terms of FDTS and micropillars, respectively. The results showed that a reduction of adhesion strength by 4% was reached by blending FDTS into flat PDMS, while a much more pronounced reduction of frozen oil adhesion strength by 60% was achieved by blending FDTS into PDMS micropillars; these results suggested a possible synergic effect of the FDTS chemistry and micropillar on the reduction of adhesion strength of frozen oil droplets.

Tuning the Friction Characteristics of Gecko-Inspired Polydimethylsiloxane Micropillar Arrays by Embedding Fe₃O₄ and SiO₂ Particles.

In order to improve stiffness of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pillars while maintaining high friction, the effects of embedding Fe3O4 and SiO2 particles on the friction behavior of PDMS micropillars are studied. Both types of added particles increase the stiffness of the PDMS composite, but affect the friction behavior differently. The frictional force of the fibrillar array fabricated with Fe3O4/PDMS composite decreases initially, then increases as the particle content increases. For silica/PDMS composite pillars, the frictional force is independent of the particle density. Characterization by scanning electron microscopy shows that Fe3O4 particles are distributed uniformly in the PDMS matrix at low concentration, but heterogeneous distribution is observed at high particle loading, with particles being hindered from penetrating into the pillars. For silica/PDMS composite pillars, the particles distribute homogeneously inside the pillars, which is attributed to the formation of hydrogen bonding between silica particles and PDMS. The difference in particle distribution behavior is used to explain the observed difference in the friction response of these two composite systems.

Colored polydimethylsiloxane micropillar arrays for high throughput measurements of forces applied by genetic model organisms.

Measuring forces applied by multi-cellular organisms is valuable in investigating biomechanics of their locomotion. Several technologies have been developed to measure such forces, for example, strain gauges, micro-machined sensors, and calibrated cantilevers. We introduce an innovative combination of techniques as a high throughput screening tool to assess forces applied by multiple genetic model organisms. First, we fabricated colored Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillars where the color enhances contrast making it easier to detect and track pillar displacement driven by the organism. Second, we developed a semi-automated graphical user interface to analyze the images for pillar displacement, thus reducing the analysis time for each animal to minutes. The addition of color reduced the Young's modulus of PDMS. Therefore, the dye-PDMS composite was characterized using Yeoh's hyperelastic model and the pillars were calibrated using a silicon based force sensor. We used our device to measure forces exerted by wild type and mutant Caenorhabditis elegans moving on an agarose surface. Wild type C. elegans exert an average force of ∼1 μN on an individual pillar and a total average force of ∼7.68 μN. We show that the middle of C. elegans exerts more force than its extremities. We find that C. elegans mutants with defective body wall muscles apply significantly lower force on individual pillars, while mutants defective in sensing externally applied mechanical forces still apply the same average force per pillar compared to wild type animals. Average forces applied per pillar are independent of the length, diameter, or cuticle stiffness of the animal. We also used the device to measure, for the first time, forces applied by Drosophila melanogaster larvae. Peristaltic waves occurred at 0.4 Hz applying an average force of ∼1.58 μN on a single pillar. Our colored microfluidic device along with its displacement tracking software allows us to measure forces applied by multiple model organisms that crawl or slither to travel through their environment.

Superhydro-oleophobic bio-inspired polydimethylsiloxane micropillared surface via FDTS coating/blending approaches

In this work we render superhydro-oleophobic properties to the surface of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer through bio-inspired micropillar surface and chemical modification with a fluorosilane polymer, trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)silane (FDTS). Two different chemical modification approaches were applied on both flat and micropillar PDMS: (1) vapor deposition of FDTS on cured PDMS surface, and (2) blending FDTS with the liquid PDMS precursor before curing. Comparative studies of the water and oil contact angles on the neat and FDTS-modified PDMS (both flat and micropillar) indicated that superhydro-oleophobicity was delivered by a combination of FDTS chemistry and micropillar geometry. FDTS-blended PDMS micropillar displayed better oleophobicity with an oil contact angle of ∼141° than FDTS-coated PDMS micropillar (∼115°). In contrast to the smooth surface of FDTS-blended PDMS micropillar, rough surface with some structure defects were found on the FDTS-coated micropillar surface caused by the vapor deposition process; the surface defects might be responsible for the observed low oleophobicity of FDTS-coated PDMS micropillar. Superhydrophobicity of FDTS-blended PDMS micropillar in terms of water contact angles was found to be independent of the quantity of FDTS. However, the oleophobicity of FDTS-blended PDMS micropillar was found to be dependent of the quantity of FDTS; with the increased weight concentration of FDTS in PDMS, the oils contact angle first increased and then leveled out at a finite concentration. FTIR and XPS were applied to analyze surface chemistry information suggesting the blended FDTS segregated from bulk PDMS and enriched at the surface to reduce surface tension so as to make surface super-oleophobic.

Polydimethyl siloxane wet etching for three dimensional fabrication of microneedle array and high-aspect-ratio micropillars.

Among various transdermal drug delivery (TDD) approaches, utilizing the microneedles (MNs) not only can penetrate the skin but also deliver the drug with reduced tissue damage, reduced pain, and no bleeding. However, the MNs with larger height are required to overcome the skin barrier for effective TDD. Unlike 2D patterning, etching polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) micropillars for fabrication of 3D microstructures is presented. The PDMS micropillars were first constructed by casting PDMS on the computer numerical control-machined cylindrical microwells, which then went through etching process to obtain the MNs for subsequent fabrication of polymer MNs or high aspect ratio micropillars.

Surface tension-induced PDMS micro-pillars with controllable tips and tilt angles

This paper reports a novel method to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro-pillars using a CO2 laser-machined poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) mold with through-holes. This method eliminates the requirements of expensive and complicated facilities to fabricate a 3D mold. The micro-pillars were formed by the capillary force that draws PDMS into the through-holes of the PMMA mold. The tilt angles of the micro-pillars depend on the tilt angles of the through-holes in the mold, and the concave and convex micro-lens tip shapes of the PDMS micro-pillars can be modified by changing the surface wettability of the PMMA through-holes.

A Super-Lyophobic 3-D PDMS Channel as a Novel Microfluidic Platform to Manipulate Oxidized Galinstan

We report a 3-D super-lyophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic channel patterned with an array of multi-scale surface texture as a novel microfluidic platform to mobilize naturally oxidized Galinstan. Galinstan is a liquid metal that has multiple advantages over mercury such as non-toxicity, higher thermal conductivity, and lower electrical resistivity. However, Galinstan gets easily oxidized in an air environment and it becomes a viscoelastic liquid that wets almost any solid surface. We studied the feasibility of developing super-lyophobic surfaces against Galinstan, using various flat and textured surfaces including PDMS micropillar and microridge arrays by measuring static and dynamic contact angles. The highest advancing angle of 175 ° and receding angle of 163 ° were achieved on a surface patterned with micropillars, each of which was textured with additional roughness. Pitch distance between pillars was 175 μm. An extremely simple PDMS-PDMS bonding technique was used to fabricate a 3-D super-lyophobic channel structure as a microfluidic platform for oxidized Galinstan droplets. The driving force to actuate a ~ 3-μL Galinstan droplet in the 3-D super-lyophobic channel was 3.11±0.23 mN.