Designing Molecular Printboards: A Photolithographic Platform for Recodable Surfaces

A light induced strategy for the design of -cyclodextrin (CD) based supramolecular devices is introduced, presenting a novel tool to fabricate multifunctional biointerfaces. Precision photolithography of a modified -CD was established on a light sensitive tetrazole surface immobilized on a bioinspired polydopamine (PDA) anchor layer via various shadow masks, as well as via direct laser writing (DLW), in order to craft any desired printboard design. Interfacial molecular recognition provided by light generated cavitate domains was demonstrated via spatially resolved encoding, erasing, and recoding of distinct supramolecular guest patterns. Thus, the light directed shaping of receptor monolayers introduces a powerful path to control supramolecular assemblies on various surfaces.