Self-Partitioned Droplet Array on Laser-Patterned Superhydrophilic Glass Surface for Wall-less Cell Arrays

Abstract

In this work, we report a novel method for the creation of superhydrophilic patterns on the surface of hydrophobically coated glass through CO2 laser cleaning. This mask-free approach requires no photolithography for the print of the features, and only a single-step surface pretreatment is needed. The laser-cleaned glass surface enables self-partitioning of liquid into droplet arrays with controllable, quantitative volumes. We further designed wall-less cell arrays for the mapping of culturing conditions and demonstrated the potential of this droplet-arraying method.