Nanopatterning the chemospecific immobilization of cowpea mosaic virus capsid

This paper presents a flexible approach for using Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN) to nanopattern mixed monolayers for the selective immobilization of bioassemblies. DPN was used with a binary ink-consisting of a symmetric 11-mercaptoundecyl-penta(ethylene glycol) disulfide and a mixed disulfide substituted with one malelmide group-to pattern nanoscale features that present functional groups for the chemospecific immobilization of cysteine-labeled biomolecules. This strategy was applied to the chemospecific immobilization of cysteine mutant cowpea mosaic virus capsid particles (cys-VCPs). The combination of DPN for defining nanopatterns and surface chemistries for controlling the immobilization of ligands will be broadly useful in basic and applied biology.