Impact of surface topography on the bacterial attachment to micro- and nano-patterned polymer films.

The development of antimicrobial surfaces has become a high priority in recent times. There are two ongoing worldwide health crises: the COVID-19 pandemic provoked by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the antibiotic-resistant diseases provoked by bacteria resistant to antibiotic-based treatments. The need for antimicrobial surfaces against bacteria and virus is a common factor to both crises.

Antibacterial activity testing methods for hydrophobic patterned surfaces.

One strategy to decrease the incidence of hospital-acquired infections is to avoid the survival of pathogens in the environment by the development of surfaces with antimicrobial activity. To study the antibacterial behaviour of active surfaces, different approaches have been developed of which ISO 22916 is the standard. To assess the performance of different testing methodologies to analyse the antibacterial activity of hydrophobic surface patterned plastics as part of a Horizon 2020 European research project.

Real-time Optical Dimensional Metrology via Diffractometry for Nanofabrication.

Surface patterning technologies represent a worldwide growing industry, creating smart surfaces and micro/nanoscale device. The advent of large-area, high-speed imprinting technologies has created an ever-growing need for rapid and non-destructive dimensional metrology techniques to keep pace with the speed of production. Here we present a new real-time optical scatterometry technique, applicable at the mesoscale when optical inspection produces multiple orders of diffraction.

Integrated 3D Hydrogel Waveguide Out-Coupler by Step-and-Repeat Thermal Nanoimprint Lithography: A Promising Sensor Device for Water and pH.

Hydrogel materials offer many advantages for chemical and biological sensoring due to their response to a small change in their environment with a related change in volume. Several designs have been outlined in the literature in the specific field of hydrogel-based optical sensors, reporting a large number of steps for their fabrication. In this work we present a three-dimensional, hydrogel-based sensor the structure of which is fabricated in a single step using thermal nanoimprint lithography.

Design of a Multifunctional Nanoengineered PLLA Surface by Maximizing the Synergies between Biochemical and Surface Design Bactericidal Effects.

Nanotechnology, the manipulation of matter on atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scales, has become the most appealing strategy for biomedical applications and is of great interest as an approach to preventing microbial risks. In this study, we utilize the antimicrobial performance and the drug-loading ability of novel nanoparticles based on silicon oxide and strontium-substituted hydroxyapatite to develop nanocomposite antimicrobial films based on a poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) polymer. We also demonstrate that nanoimprint lithography (NIL), a process adaptable to industrial application, is a feasible fabrication technique to modify the surface of PLLA, to alter its physical properties, and to utilize it for antibacterial applications.

Self-Assembled Nanofeatures in Complex Three-Dimensional Topographies via Nanoimprint and Block Copolymer Lithography Methods.

Achieving ultrasmall dimensions of materials and retaining high throughput are critical fabrication considerations for nanotechnology use. This article demonstrates an integrated approach for developing isolated sub-20 nm silicon oxide features through combined "top-down" and "bottom-up" methods: nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and block copolymer (BCP) lithography. Although techniques like those demonstrated here have been developed for nanolithographic application in the microelectronics processing industry, similar approaches could be utilized for sensor, fluidic, and optical-based devices.

Design of Hierarchical Surfaces for Tuning Wetting Characteristics.

Patterned surfaces with tunable wetting properties are described. A hybrid hierarchical surface realized by combining two different materials exhibits different wetting states, depending on the speed of impingement of the water droplets. Both "lotus" (high contact angle and low adhesion) and "petal" (high contact angle and high adhesion) states were observed on the same surface without the need of any modification of the surface.