Preparation and photolithography of self-assembled monolayers of 10-mercaptodecanylphosphonic acid on glass mediated by zirconium for protein patterning

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed by adsorption of octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) on zirconium mediated glass substrates were prepared. In this sandwich structure, Zr4+ was used as a bi-linker to bind phosphonic acid head group in ODPA to glass substrates. The contact angle of the as-prepared SAMs was measured to be around 104°. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization indicated the modification of Zr4+ on glass substrates was critical for the formation of reasonably dense, well-ordered SAMs similar in quality to those typically formed on other metal oxide surfaces. Bifunctional molecule, 10-mercaptodecanylphosphonic acid (MDPA), bearing thiol terminal groups for various chemical reactions, was synthesized and formed SAMs on glass using the same approach, which allowed us to control the surface chemistry and functionality through photooxidation of the thiol terminal group. Photopatterning of proteins was performed first by exposing the SAMs to UV light through a mask, followed by protein immobilization to the masked regions through a heterobifunctional linker, while the exposed areas prohibit nonspecific protein absorption. The present strategy, which combined the SAMs assembly and photolithography, offered a facile approach for the fabrication of biomolecule patterning and could be applied to construction of biochips and other applications.

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► Self-assembled monolayers of alkylphosphonic acid on zirconium mediated glass substrates were prepared.
► Bifunctional 10-mercaptodecanylphosphonic acid was synthesized and used to develop a thiol terminal surface using the same approach.
► Exposure of the thiol terminal surface through a mask yields well-defined patterns that orient specific adsorption of proteins or antibodies.