Scientific Achievement
Foundry staff and users developed new sequence-defined polypeptoid polymer brushes for surface modification of semiconductor substrates and demonstrated their high selectivity in immobilizing biomolecules like DNA origami and streptavidin.
Significance and Impact
The new materials can be precisely customized to match desired functionality, lithographic processability, and biocompatibility. At ~1 nm thick, they offer new possibilities for tailoring molecular interactions and recognition at the inorganic/bio interface.
Research Details
- Polypeptoid brush monolayers, ~1 nm thick, were used to generate highly precise chemical contrast nanopatterns defined by electron-beam lithography.
- Chemical functionalities of the polypeptoid brushes were preserved post-lithographic patterning, and DNA origami and streptavidin were selectively immobilized on targeted locations in the nanopatterns.
