Electrospinning of poly(dimethylsiloxane)/poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofibrous membrane: fabrication and application in protein microarrays.

Fabrication of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanofibers is critical to harness the advantage of nanostructured membrane applied in protein microarrays. Electrospinning (ES) of PDMS nanofibers is challenging because of the relatively low molecular weight of PDMS prepolymer. We report a strategy to fabricate PDMS/PMMA nanofibers via ES by introducing carrier polymer PMMA into PDMS solutions to supplement the deficiency of chain entanglements in the PDMS prepolymer. The prepared PDMS/PMMA nanofibrous membrane (PDMS/PMMA NFM) was successfully used as substrates for protein microarrays. The results of immunoassays showed the superior performance of PDMS/PMMA NFM as 3D substrate for protein microarrays; the limit-of-detection (LOD) on PDMS/PMMA NFM was 32 times lower than that on nitrocellulose membrane. The realization of ES PDMS extends the scope of ES materials from thermoplastic polymers to thermosetting materials. Given the simplicity, low cost, and high efficiency of ES technology, we believe that PDMS/PMMA NFM is a promising 3D substrate for protein microarrays.