Bioinspired patterning with extreme wettability contrast on TiO2 nanotube array surface: a versatile platform for biomedical applications

Binary wettability patterned surfaces with extremely high wetting contrasts can be found in nature on living creatures. They offer a versatile platform for microfluidic management. In this work, a facile approach to fabricating erasable and rewritable surface patterns with extreme wettability contrasts (superhydrophilic/superhydrophobic) on a TiO2 nanotube array (TNA) surface through self-assembly and photocatalytic lithography is reported. The multifunctional micropatterned superhydrophobic TNA surface can act as a 2D scaffold for site-selective cell immobilization and reversible protein absorption. Most importantly, such a high-contrast wettability template can be used to construct various well-defined 3D functional patterns, such as calcium phosphate, silver nanoparticles, drugs, and biomolecules in a highly selective manner. The 3D functional patterns would be a versatile platform in a wide range of applications, especially for biomedical devices (e.g., high-throughput molecular sensing, targeted antibacterials, and drug delivery). In a proof-of-concept study, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering and antibacterial performance of the fabricated 3D AgNP@TNA pattern, and the targeted drug delivery for site-specific and high-sensitivity cancer cell assays was investigated.