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Application Note 101- Delivery of Reactive Solutions to Ultramicro Domains

The Nano eNabler™ system is used to directly deliver attoliter to picoliter quantities of an etchant to a gold surface. The result is the production of ultraminiaturized holes in the gold surface, revealing the silicon substrate beneath. This process can be used to create microwells, ultramicrostructures, localized catalytic or inert domains, and ultramicroscale structural elements for building ultraminiaturized devices.

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Application Notes 111 – Versatile Biomolecular Printing on a Variety of Surface Types

In this application note the Nano eNabler™ system is used to print proteins onto various surface types including hydrogel, nitrocellulose, and chemically treated surfaces such as silanes and self-assembling monolayers (SAMs). This demonstrates the utility of these surfaces as printing substrates for a variety of potential applications, some of which may require a flat silane or SAM surface while others may benefit from the increased loading capacity and activity retention of a 3D matrix. Observation of the printed surfaces provides information on the efficiency of protein transfer and consistency in ultramicron spot formation.

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Application Note 203 – “Speed Printing”; or, printing in “No Laser Mode” with the Nano eNabler System™

Although using the laser for printing arrays controls the “contact force” of the cantilever on the
substrate and this is useful for highly quantitative applications; however, applications, such as printing
arrays for cell binding, do not require a consistent contact force. Because consistent contact force
requires the laser and subsequent associated processing time, printing in “no laser mode” can help
save time in printing large arrays for qualitative applications. We recommend you use a wider cantilever
(30μm or 60μm) for the first attempt.

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Application Note 204 – Employing alternate angle SPT holders

The standard SPT holder that comes with the Nano eNabler system™ holds the SPT at a 12° angle with respect to the surface. Smaller spots with better morphology and closer spacing can be achieved by using optional, alternate angled SPT holders that hold the cantilever at 24°, 36°, or 48°.  Liquids may also be dispensed into concavities with steeper aspect ratios using these SPT holders.  The one caveat with these holders is that the laser can not be used to find the surface or to print.  We recommend that you use a wider cantilever (30μm or 60μm) for the first attempt.

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Printing Non-Polar Polymers Using the BioForce Nano eNabler Open Channel Micro-patterning Tool

William Montes and Thomas C. Marsh,  University of St. Thomas, Dept. of Chemistry

The Nano eNabler (NeN) is a versatile micro/nano-scale printing tool for creating arrays of materials with high precision and accuracy.  An open channel microfluidic device is used to deliver very small volumes of solution to a surface.  The majority of current applications for the NeN are focused on creating patterns of water-soluble polymers, biomolecules, viral particles and living cells on various surfaces.  In order to use the NeN for creating arrays of non-polar molecules, a suitable solvent with low vapor pressure is required.  This work describes the development of a sample preparation method and instrument parameters that enable printing arrays of polystyrene (PS) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) onto substrates such as SiO2, Au, Mica and Indium Tin Oxide.

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Application Note 201 – Indexing cells on substrates utilizing the Nano eNabler™

Indexing living, eukaryotic cells to discrete, addressable loci on surfaces is critical to furthering studies of development, differentiation, response to stimuli, cell-cell communication, regeneration, and in forms of bioelectronics, suturing and tissue replacement. This can be accomplished by employing the Nano eNabler™ to generate arrays of extra-cellular matrix proteins (ECM’s) on APTES-aldehyde, epoxysilane, or polystyrene surfaces. BioForce has successfully indexed NIH3T3, PC12, and HeLa H1 cells.

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