Fabrication of microcapsule arrays on chemically patterned surfaces via covalent linking

A method for fabricating arrays ofmicrocapsules covalently immobilized onto chemically patterned substrates was developed. The core-shell microparticles with poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) as the outermost layer were obtained by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly, which were further treated with glutaraldehyde to endow the particles with abundant aldehyde groups on their surfaces. The particles were then covalently coupled to the chemically patterned regions with amino groups created by microcontact printing (μCP). After dissolution of the core particles, arrays of the hollow microcapsules with unchanged structures were obtained. These arrays could stand rigorous environmental conditions of higher ionic strength, and lower and higher pH values. Thus, the technique could be possibly applied to exploiting chips of microcontainers or microreactors in sensing technology.