Micropatterning of bacteria on two-dimensional lattice protein surface observed by atomic force microscopy

In this study, we characterized the two-dimensional lattice of bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a chemical and physical barrier against bacterial adhesion, using fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The lattice of BSA on glass surface was fabricated by micro-contact printing (μCP), which is a useful way to pattern a wide range of molecules into microscale features on different types of substrates. The contact-mode AFM measurements showed that the average height of the printed BSA monolayer was 5–6 nm. Escherichia coli adhered rapidly on bare glass slide, while the bacterial adhesion was minimized on the lattices in the range of 1–3 μm2. Especially, the bacterial adhesion was completely inhibited on a 1 μm2 lattice. The results suggest that the anti-adhesion effects are due by the steric repulsion forces exerted by BSA.