We demonstrate that hydrophobic areas formed by femtosecond laser irradiation on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) polymer substrates can be faithfully replicated on samples of the same material via a solvent-resistant perfluoropolyether (PFPE) elastomer mold. The replicated PMMA and PS samples show nearly identical micro-nanoscale topography and hydrophobic wetting characteristics as the laser-patterned master substrates. This work combines the femtosecond laser capability of spatially tailoring the wettability with a high-resolution parallel replication method, offering the potential for the efficient production of microfluidic devices with selectively tailored flow behavior.
© 2011 American Chemical Society