Micropatterning of mammalian cells on inorganic-based nanosponges

Developing artificial scaffolding structures in vitro in order to mimic physiological-relevant situations in vivo is critical in many biological and medical arenas including bone and cartilage generation, biomaterials, small-scale biomedical devices, tissue engineering, as well as the development of nanofabrication methods. We focus on using simple physical principles (photolithography) and chemical techniques (liquid vapor deposition) to build non-cytotoxic scaffolds with a nanometer resolution through using silicon substrates as the backbone. This method merges an optics-based approach with chemical restructuring to modify the surface properties of an IC-compatible material, switching from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity. Through this nanofabrication-based approach that we developed, hydrophobic oxidized silicon nanosponges were obtained. We then probed cellular responses—examining cytoskeletal and morphological changes in living cells through a combination of fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy—via culturing Chinese hamster ovary cells, HIG-82 fibroblasts and Madin–Darby canine kidney cells on these silicon nanosponges. This study has demonstrated the potential applications of using these silicon-based nanopatterns such as influencing cellular behaviors at desired locations with a micro-/nanometer level.