Field-Induced Nanolithography for Patterning of Non-Fouling Polymer Brush Surfaces

Electric-field induced nanolithography (FINL) on four hydrophilic polymer brushes is demonstrated. FINL is a nanoscale surface patterning method that depends on an electrochemical reaction at the tip–brush interface. FINL feature size depends on the applied bias, relative humidity, and exposure time. FINL patterning yields electrochemically modified brush surfaces that can be used to attach diagnostically relevant probes.