Roll-to-Roll Microcontact Printing of Flexible Aluminum Substrates Using Octadecylphosphonic Acid (ODPA)

Abstract

Soft-lithography, or the printing of self-assembling molecular inks at micro or sub-micron scale holds the promise of large-scale surface patterning for a variety of applications. One key to the ultimate utility of this concept is continuous roll-to-roll printing on lost-cost flexible substrates. Accordingly, this paper discusses the basic processes involved in roll-to-roll printing of octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) on aluminum-coated PET substrates using novel cylindrical stamps cast from PDMS. In addition to printing, visualization of the pattern is achieved through controlled condensation of water vapor and by a post-printing acid etch. By using a roll-to-roll configuration, along with continuous stamps and measurements that can permit real-time online quality monitoring, this method represents a significant step forward in making soft lithography a commercially viable process.