Issue 13, 2012
From the journal:

Lab on a Chip

Induced hydrophobic recovery of oxygen plasma-treated surfaces†

David J. Guckenberger,a   Erwin Berthier,‡b   Edmond W. K. Young‡a  and  David J. Beebe*a  

* Corresponding authors

a Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, USA
E-mail: djbeebe@wisc.edu
Tel: +1-608-262-2260

b Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1111 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, USA

Abstract

Plasma treatment is a widely used method in microfabrication laboratories and the plasticware industry to functionalize surfaces for device bonding and preparation for mammalian cell culture. However, spatial control of plasma treatment is challenging because it typically requires a tedious masking step that is prone to alignment errors. Currently, there are no available methods to actively revert a surface from a treated hydrophilic state to its original hydrophobic state. Here, we describe a method that relies on physical contact treatment (PCT) to actively induce hydrophobic recovery of plasma-treated surfaces. PCT involves applying brushing and peeling processes with common wipers and tapes to reverse the wettability of hydrophilized surfaces while simultaneously preserving hydrophilicity of non-contacted surfaces. We demonstrate that PCT is a user-friendly method that allows 2D and 3D surface patterning of hydrophobic regions, and the protection of hydrophilic surfaces from unwanted PCT-induced recovery. This method will be useful in academic and industrial settings where plasma treatment is frequently used.

Graphical abstract: Induced hydrophobic recovery of oxygen plasma-treated surfaces

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C2LC21052E
Article type
Technical Innovation
Submitted
31 Oct 2011
Accepted
27 Mar 2012
First published
30 Mar 2012

Lab Chip, 2012,12, 2317-2321

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Induced hydrophobic recovery of oxygen plasma-treated surfaces

D. J. Guckenberger, E. Berthier, E. W. K. Young and D. J. Beebe, Lab Chip, 2012, 12, 2317 DOI: 10.1039/C2LC21052E

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