journal article·2026-07Open access

Femtosecond‐Laser Mould Texturing Enables Tunable Biointerfaces in COC Microfluidics

Irene Varela‐Leniz, Nora Larreategi, Laura Gemini, Taieb Bakouche, Florent Husson, Leire Gartzia‐Rivero, Eider Bilbao Castellanos, Ane Miren Zaldua, José Luis Vilas‐Vilela, Leire Etxeberria

Advanced Materials Interfaces· Volume 13· Issue 13

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cyclic Olefin Copolymers (COCs) are increasingly used in microfluidic biomedical devices, although their chemically inert surfaces may hamper control of protein adsorption and cell–material interactions. Here, femtosecond laser texturing is applied to mould inserts to generate micro‐ and nano‐scale features that are subsequently replicated onto COC by injection moulding. Surface characterization confirms accurate texture transfer and reveals a direct correlation between replicated geometry and wetting behaviour. Protein adsorption assays show that different textures promote heterogeneous protein deposition, indicating that topographical cues regulate the early formation of the biointerface. Cell culture studies demonstrate that variations in topography and wettability across textures lead to texture‐dependent cell adhesion trends when compared to a conventional collagen‐coated reference, highlighting the role of mould‐encoded physicochemical cues. Because the textures are introduced at the mould level, the method is compatible with industrial, high‐throughput production of polymer‐based microfluidic devices. Overall, this work establishes a scalable strategy to engineer COC surfaces with customized wetting and biological properties using fs‐laser mould texturing combined with injection moulding, providing a robust route to integrate micro‐ and nano‐engineered functionalities without chemical treatments.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: 3D Printing in Biomedical Research · Nanofabrication and Lithography Techniques · Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Innovative Macromolecular Materials Group (Imacromat) Physical Chemistry Department Faculty of Science and Technology University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU Leioa Spain

Leartiker S. Coop. Bizkaia Spain

ALPhANOV, Institut D'optique D'aquitaine Rue François Mitterrand Talence France

Dept. of Physical Chemistry Faculty of Science and Technology University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU Leioa Spain

CBET+ Research Group, Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology and Research Centre For Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE) University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU Leioa Spain

BCMaterials, Basque Center for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures UPV/EHU Science Park Leioa Spain

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