Visualizing Amine Groups Tethered to a Glass Surface

This study determined the viability of a new technique for visualizing micron (or smaller) sized areas of amines tethered to a glass substrate. The experiment utilized a methodology that requires the use of amine functionalization, plasma cleaning, and an elastomeric mold to pattern amines on a glass surface. Electro-less copper metallization was used to verify that the patterned amine region was indeed present on the surface of the glass. The results suggest that metallization can be used to detect amine groups on glass; however, more experimentation is needed to attain maximum selectivity in the devised visualization technique.