posted on 2024-02-01, 17:34authored byJuan C. Arango, Chris J. Pintro, Anamika Singh, Shelley A. Claridge
Nanometer-scale control
over surface functionality is important
in applications ranging from nanoscale electronics to regenerative
medicine. However, approaches that provide precise control over surface
chemistry at the nanometer scale are often challenging to use with
higher throughput and in more heterogeneous environments (e.g., complex
solutions, porous interfaces) common for many applications. Here,
we demonstrate a scalable inkjet-based method to generate 1 nm-wide
functional patterns on 2D materials such as graphite, which can then
be transferred to soft materials such as hydrogels. We examine fluid
dynamics associated with the inkjet printing process for low-viscosity
amphiphile inks designed to maximize ordering with limited residue
and show that microscale droplet fluid dynamics influence nanoscale
molecular ordering. Additionally, we show that scalable patterns generated
in this way can be transferred to hydrogel materials and used to create
surface chemical patterns that induce adsorption of charged particles,
with effects strong enough to overcome electrostatic repulsion between
a charged hydrogel and a like-charged nanoparticle.