Enzymatic Nanolithography of Polyaniline Nanopatterns by Using Peroxidase-Modified Atomic Force Microscopy Tips

The proof of concept of atomic force microscopy (AFM) based biocatalytic nanolithography for generating conducting polymer (CP) nanostructures was studied. The silicon nitride AFM probe was washed initially with chloroform and treated with Piranha solution to form OH groups on their surface. The AFM probe was silanized in an ethanol solution containing 2% N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane. The probe was then immersed for 2 h into a phosphate buffer solution containing 5 mm N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and 10 mm N-ethyl-N'-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC). Specific biotin streptavidin interactions were used to confine the enzyme onto the biotin-modified AFM probe. It is expected that predefined scanning of different enzyme modified AFM probes in the presence of various monomers could lead to diverse and complex CP nanostructures.