Influence of un-cured PDMS chains in stamp using PDMS-based lithography

We present the compatibility of elastomeric stamp, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), with inks for non-photolithography. This ink limitation is important in considering the lamination of hydrophilic solution on the patterned ink surface using an elastomeric stamp. We focus on an increase of the hydrophobicity of the patterned surface due to diffusion of low molecular weight (LMW) silicone polymer chains. This hydrophobicity increases inversely with the PDMS-ink interaction parameter (χ), which is correlated with the solubility parameter (δ). This study's results translate into proposed design factors for ink used in the patterned functional layer for PDMS-based lithography. Both the XPS and the contact angle measurement show that the hydrophobicity can be increased by LMW PDMS chains transfer from stamps, and this increase can cause the expansion of the free volume in PDMS pores through a swelling effect.