Characterization of patterned self-assembled monolayers and protein arrays generated by the ink-jet method

Commercial ink-jet printers were used with little modification to deposit alkanethiols onto gold substrata and several proteins onto silica supports. The resulting patterns of alkanethiols form self-assembled layers comparable to those obtained by microcontact printing or solution adsorption. The method has been used successfully to create binary chemical gradients and patterns of tertiary functionality. The proteins form dense patterns on the substrates and seem to maintain their configuration as measured by their ability to bind their specific ligands. Four different proteins were printed simultaneously, allowing for positive and negative controls. This "drop-on-demand" printing method is an inexpensive, flexible alternative to current binary technologies of chemically functionalizing surfaces.