Direct writing of molecularly imprinted microstructures using a nanofountain pen

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) constitute a very appealing avenue to parallel sensors of a multitude of small target molecules due to their stability, relative ease of preparation, and their ability to recognize targets for which natural capture molecules do not exist. The authors present here a way of arraying MIP structures with micrometer dimensions, using nanofountain pen, and demonstrate their functionality using a fluorescent template molecule. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.