Single-step, high-throughput biofunctionalization of nanoelectromechanical systems by means of nanocontact printing method

This report presents an unprecedented back-end method for biofunctionalizing a large-scale array of nanocantilevers. The method presented here relies on the use of a modified nanocontact printing (nCP) process where antibodies are delivered onto a chip containing up to 10⁶ nanostructures/cm² from the high-parts (grooves) of a polymer stamp while its base sits on the nanocantilevers´ chip, thus providing mechanical stability. The presence of antibodies is validated by fluorescent microscopy and measurement of the nanocantilever resonance frequency shifts provoked by the added biological mass demonstrates that the cantilevers retain their mechanical integrity.