Nano-topographic evaluation of highly disordered fractal-like structures of immobilized oligonucleotides using AFM

In a recent trend of micro- and nano-array technologies, polymers are gaining preference over traditional substrates such as glass, silicates, etc. as a model biosurface to immobilize biomolecules. In present paper, we compared model polymeric surfaces such as cyclo olefin copolymer (COC) and polycarbonate (PC), with traditional surfaces such as silicone-wafer and mica. We used a 2D fractal dimension method, i.e. the perimeter–area relationship (PAR) to study the immobilization of 26 base pair oligonucleotide primer on surfaces which are imaged by AFM. Results revealed that the efficiency of the vertical immobilization is in the following order: COC > PC > mica > Si-wafer which can be contributed to chemical and nano-topographical heterogeneity. This study is useful for in-depth understanding of fundamental issues such as effects of manufacturing parameters and evaluation of surface nanotopographies for the development of high-density biochips.