One-Step Fabrication of Droplet Arrays Using a Biomimetic Structural Chip

In the field of one-step efficient preparation of dewetting droplet arrays, the process is hampered by the requirement for low chemical wettability of solid surfaces, which restricts the complete transition of wetting state and its broad prospects in biological applications. Inspired by the physical structure of the lotus leaf, enabling it to promote the change of the infiltration state of an aqueous solution on the surface, we developed a method of one-step fabrication of droplet arrays on the biomimetic structural chip designed in the present work. This greatly reduces the need for chemical modification techniques to achieve low wettability and reduces the reliance on complex and sophisticated surface preparation techniques, thus improving the fabrication efficiency of droplet arrays fully generated on a chip by one-step operation without the need for extra liquid phase or the control of harsh barometric pressure. We also studied the influence of dimensions of the biomimetic structure and the preparation process parameters such as number of smears and speed of smearing on the preparation rate and uniformity of the droplet arrays. The amplification of templating DNA molecules in the droplet arrays prepared in a one-step fabrication way is also performed to verify its application potential for DNA molecular diagnosis.

Automated summary

Inspired by the physical structure of lotus leaf, we developed a method of one-step fabrication of droplet arrays on a biomimetic structural chip, which reduces the reliance on chemical modification techniques and complex surface preparation techniques, improving the efficiency of droplet array fabrication. The influence of dimensions of the biomimetic structure and preparation process parameters on the preparation rate and uniformity of the droplet arrays were studied, and the application potential of the one-step fabrication method for DNA molecular diagnosis was verified.