Photogenerated polyelectrolyte bilayers from an aqueous-processible photoresist for multicomponent protein patterning.

A novel photoresist (PR) that can be processed under mild aqueous conditions was synthesized and used to create photogenerated polyelectrolyte bilayers. Thin films of the PR cast on polycation-coated substrates were exposed to UV irradiation to generate carboxylate groups in the photoresist. The bulk of the UV-exposed PR film was dissolved by rinsing with pH 7.4 phosphate-buffered saline, but a polyelectrolyte bilayer formed in situ at the PR/polycation interface on exposure remained bound to the substrate. The UV-exposed photoresist also exhibited pH-dependent solubility; it was soluble in water above pH 6.6, but insoluble at lower pHs. Using these unique properties, two-component protein patterning was achieved using biotinylated PR films under conditions that avoid exposing the proteins to conditions outside the narrow range of physiological pH, ionic strength, and temperature where their stability is greatest.