The control of cell adhesion on a PMMA polymer surface consisting of nanopillar arrays

Abstract

We investigated the effect of arrayed nanostructures on the cell adhesion rate by forming nanopillars on a PMMA polymer surface, and demonstrated cell patterning tools for the polymer surface without biological or chemical reagents. Nanopillar arrayed structures with various heights (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200nm with 50nm of pitch size and 60nm of diameter) were formed on a PMMA surface by using nano-molding techniques with nanoporous AAO (anodic aluminum oxide) as a template. The nanopillar arrayed structures provide negative effects on the cell adhesion on the non-treated PMMA (moderate hydrophobic, ≥80° of contact angle), whereas slightly positive and no effects were shown by nanopillar structures on plasma (hydrophilic, ≤20°) and silane-treated PMMA (moderate, 40-70°), respectively. The microstructure on the polymer surface showed a 20% positive effect on the cell adhesion rate. As a result, nano or micro patterning structures could control the cell adhesion rate (15-120%) and it enabled the formation of closed cell patterns on the PMMA surface without chemical or biological surface treatments.