Patterning Polymer and Polymeric Scaffold Surfaces through Colloidal Lithography (CL) for Multimodal Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Nanostructured surfaces are a powerful means of controlling the surface properties of a material. Colloidal lithography (CL) techniques are emerging as an interesting method to form nanopatterns surfaces based on the colloid–colloid and colloid–substrate interactions. A synthetic “top-down” fabrication technique generates surfaces of the desired shape and size that mimic certain native structures found on the surface of insect wings and eyes. The colloidal lithography uses two-dimensional (2D) arrays of colloid particles as masks. The nanopatterns surfaces developed by this method can either be used in the current form or as masks. CL relies the use of colloidal crystals as masks for etching and deposition, and allows for the fabrication of various nanostructures on planar and nonplanar substrates with low-cost, high-throughput-processing, a large fabrication area, and a broad choice of materials. The advances in colloidal science have facilitated the synthesis process, with highly monodisperse colloidal particles with good phase stability. These colloidal particles can be arranged into an array (an ordered structure) through self-organization and have been used as templates for advanced functional materials. Various substrate topography formed using the CL method plays a vital role in cell and tissue structure, functions in situ and imparts specific cues to cells within a three-dimensional environment. 

This Special Issue will publish original research in the form of full papers, communications, and review articles focused on advanced polymer-based patterned surfaces, and their applications in antimicrobial, regenerative medicine, photonics and other biomedical fields.

Dr. Rakkiyappan Chandran
Guest Editor

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• colloidal lithography
• biomimetic surfaces
• nanostructured surfaces
• nanopatterned surfaces
• antimicrobial surfaces
• top-down fabrication