Organic solvent-assisted transfer printing on hydrophobic polymer substrate with high efficiency

Patterning materials on hydrophobic polymer substrates have extensive applications in fabricating flexible devices at low cost, while the low transfer efficiency encumbers its advance. This paper provides a facile route to transfer materials onto hydrophobic polymer substrates with high efficiency by operating in organic solvent atmosphere. Under the assistance of condensed organic solvent layer on the substrate, bovine serum albumin (BSA) are desirably transferred onto untreated hydrophobic polymer substrates, such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), polystyrene (PS), and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) as a proof-of-concept experiment. Moreover, the combination of this method with stepwise contraction and adsorption nanolithography (SCAN) was also demonstrated as an alternative way to further miniaturize patterns prepared by other methods.