Micropatterning of cells via adjusting surface wettability using plasma treatment and graphene oxide deposition

The wettability of a polymer surface plays a critical role in cell-cell interaction and behavior. The degree to which a surface is hydrophobic or hydrophilic affects the adhesion and behavior of cells. Two distinct techniques for patterning the surface wettability of a Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC) substrate were developed and investigated in this article for the purpose of patterning cell growth. These include oxygen plasma treatment and graphene oxide (GO) coating to alter the wettability of the COC substrate and create hydrophilic patterned regions on a hydrophobic surface. When the two techniques are compared, patterning the surface of COC using GO film results in a more stable wettability over time and increases the roughness of the patterned area. Interestingly, both developed techniques were effective at patterning the COC surface’s wettability, which modulated cell adhesion and resulted in micropatterning of cell growth. The novel methods described herein can be used in the fields of cell and tissue culture as well as in the development of new biological assays.