Successful development of cell-on-chip microsystems where living cells are deposited and grown in microfabricated structures is highly dependent on the control of cell/substrate interactions. In this study, several materials of interest were tested for CHO cell growth and morphology: (i) glass, fibronectin-, poly-L-lysine- and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)--treated glass and UV/O(3)-modified PDMS coating on glass as well as (ii) silicon, poly-L-lysine-, APTES-, O(2) plasma-treated and oxide-coated silicon. In addition, we quantitatively characterized cell adhesion to these substrates using a radial flow detachment assay. Lack of correlation between cell adhesion and cell morphology was systematically observed for all substrates. In particular, we show that PDMS coatings on glass can be finely tuned by UV/O(3) treatment to enhance cell adhesion and induce elongated morphology. Moreover, we observed a low shear stress cell detachment mechanism on silicon oxide coatings on silicon wafers. It is therefore possible with these coatings to selectively influence either cell adhesion or morphology.