Electrodes combined with an agarose stamp for addressable micropatterning

We have combined a topographically patterned agarose microstamp with an electrode substrate to develop a novel printing device that internally contains an electrochemical system for a controlled supply of reactive ink to the stamp surface. The 10 wt % agarose gel containing 0.1 M PBS + 25 mM KBr showed suitable elasticity for forming stamps and served as the electrolytic medium for the electrochemical oxidation of Br^- to generate HBrO. The electrode substrate patched with an agarose stamp having 50-μm-high bumps was used for the spatially confined detachment of heparin/polyethyleneimine precoated on glass substrates, followed by micropatterned adsorption of fibronectin. Using the microelectrode array, the addressable micropatterning of protein by the controlled delivery of HBrO to each bump was demonstrated.