Stepwise acetone rinsing for efficient and reproducible cleaning of polymer brush-coated substrates

초록

Polymer brush coatings are widely used in microfluidics, biosensors, and optical systems because of their ability to generate low-adhesion, uniform surfaces. Efficient cleaning of these coated substrates is essential for maintaining low contact angle hysteresis (CAH) and optimal functional performance. This study entailed a comparative analysis between a stepwise acetone rinsing method and conventional single-bath immersion approach to remove uncured polydimethylsiloxane residue from polymer-brush-coated glass. Stepwise cleaning significantly lowered CAH values for both water and methanol, indicating improved surface uniformity. High-speed droplet impact imaging and solvent residue analysis confirmed the effectiveness of the cycled contaminant removal method. Although the single-bath method can eventually achieve similar cleanliness, it requires extended immersion times and poses re-adsorption risk. The stepwise method offers a faster and more reproducible strategy for obtaining clean and uniform polymer brush surfaces, enabling time-sensitive applications such as liquid handling and backside electrode pattern preservation in microfabrication workflows.

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