Two-Photon Polymerization for Fabricating Structures Containing the Biopolymer Chitosan

Two-photon polymerization is a powerful tool for fabricating three-dimensional micro/nano structures for applications ranging from nanophotonics to biology. To tailor such structure for specific purposes it is often important to dope them. In this paper we report on the fabrication of structures, with nanometric surface features (resolution of approximately 700 nm), using two-photon polymerization of an acrylic resin doped with the biocompatible polymer chitosan using a guest-host scheme. The fluorescence background in the Raman spectrum indicates the presence of chitosan throughout the structure. Mechanical characterization reveals that chitosan does not affect the mechanical properties of the host acrylic resin and, consequently, the structures exhibit excellent integrity. The approach presented in this work can be used in the fabrication of micro- and nanostructures containing biopolymers for biomedical applications.

National Science Foundation (NSF)[DMI 0334984]

U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)

Army Research Office

Army Research Office[ARO W911NF-05-1-0471]

Funda de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

National Science Foundation`s National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NSF)

U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)