Combined soft lithographic transfer-printing and patterning method of highly fluorinated polymers as a facile surface treatment protocol

A combined soft lithographic transfer-printing and patterning method of highly fluorinated polymers was investigated aiming to establish a facile surface treatment protocol for various substrates. Spin-coated layers of poly(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl methacrylate) (PFDMA) on patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) molds were transfer-printed successfully on silicon, glass, aluminum substrates, resulting in the well-controlled production of nano to micrometer-scale periodic structures. With careful optimization of the dimension and density of the PFDMA patterns, it was possible to achieve a water contact angle as high as 175° on the transfer-printed highly fluorinated polymer film. One of the advantages of the transfer-patterning method is that highly fluorinated polymer films can be printed on curved surfaces while retaining their superhydrophobic and corrosion-prevention character. In addition, the transfer-printed PFDMA layers on the glass plates showed enhanced light transmission, which led to the extraction of 10% more light when they were applied to the emitting side of green organic light-emitting devices. The micro-patterned PFDMA surfaces also exhibited a significantly reduced level of bacterial adhesion when they were incubated in human bile juice. These results strongly suggest that the proposed facile transfer-patterning protocol of highly fluorinated polymer films can be a suitable surface-treatment technique for implantable electronic devices that exhibit improved device performance and anti-biofouling nature.