Fabrication of PEG Hydrogel Micropatterns by Soft-Photolithography and PEG Hydrogel as Guided Bone Regeneration Membrane in Dental Implantology

This chapter outlines the use of soft-photolithography technique to fabricate poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel micropatterns. Soft photolithography has several advantages over photolithography technique as it is relatively inexpensive, simple, and PEG micropatterns of subcellular dimensions with better resolution can be fabricated. The use of PDMS-based elastomeric stamp to produce microstructures of subcellular dimensions (10-40 μm) can be modified by the use of lower molecular weight PEG monomer and alternative techniques like capillary force lithography where a molding process by capillary force has been utilized for fabrication of PEG hydrogel microstructures. Along with use of PDMS for the fabrication of the PEG hydrogel micropatterns, it can also be used as a stamp for patterning extracellular matrix proteins like fibronectin or collagen onto the silicon substrate during capillary force lithography technique resulting in PEG hydrogel microstructures imprinted with extracellular protein patterns. This chapter begins with discussing different microfabrication techniques such as additive microfabrication, subtractive microfabrication, etc. The chapter also discusses soft photolithography of hydrogel micropatterns. The chapter concludes with a discussion on PEG hydrogel as GBR membrane in dental implantology. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved