A Novel Photodefinable Reactive Polymer Coating and Its Use for Microfabrication of Hydrogel Elements

A novel photodefinable polymer reactive coating formed using chemical vapor deposition polymerization is reported. Its potential as a convenient and flexible interface for confinement of hydrogels (see Figure), as is often required in microfabrication processes, is demonstrated. The concept combines the advantages of a vapor-deposited polymer (form fidelity, stability, flexibility) with the ability to conduct photochemical immobilization chemistry.