Re-inking roller for microcontact printing in a roll-to-roll process

A system, comprising:

• a moving web of material unwound from a roller;
• an elastomeric stamp mounted on an air-supported sleeve made out of a metal shell floated on an air layer, overlaying a print roller, wherein the elastomeric stamp comprises a base surface and a continuous, regular array of pattern elements having a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape and extending above the base surface, and wherein the pattern elements each comprise a substantially planar stamping surface that periodically contacts a major surface of the web of material, wherein the pattern elements have a lateral dimension of about 0.25 microns to about 5 microns and a height with respect to the base surface, and wherein an aspect ratio of the height of the pattern elements to the lateral dimension of the pattern elements is about 1.5 to about 5.0;
• and
• an apparatus for inking the stamping surfaces with an ink composition comprising an organosulfur compound and an organic solvent, wherein the apparatus for inking the stamping surfaces comprises a re-inking roller with an inking surface made of an elastomeric material impregnated with the ink composition, and wherein the inking surface periodically contacts the stamping surfaces of the pattern elements of the elastomeric stamp.

A method comprising:

• unwinding a web of a substrate material from a support;
• providing an elastomeric stamp on an air-supported sleeve made out of a metal shell floated on an air layer, overlaying a print roller, the elastomeric stamp being impregnated with an ink composition comprising a functionalizing molecule, each functionalizing molecule having a functional group selected to bind to the substrate material of the web, wherein the elastomeric stamp comprises a base surface and a continuous, regular array of pattern elements having a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape and extending above the base surface, and wherein the pattern elements each comprise a substantially planar stamping surface that periodically contacts a major surface of the web of the substrate material, wherein the pattern elements have a lateral dimension of about 0.25 microns to about 5 microns and a height with respect to the base surface, and wherein an aspect ratio of the height of the pattern elements to the lateral dimension of the pattern elements is about 1.5 to about 5.0;
• periodically contacting the stamping surfaces of the pattern elements of the elastomeric stamp with a major surface of the web of the substrate material for a print time sufficient to bind the functional groups of the functionalizing molecules to the substrate material of the web to form a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of the functionalizing molecules on the major surface of the web material according to the array of pattern elements on the stamping surface;
• and
• contacting the stamping surfaces of the pattern elements of the elastomeric stamp at least periodically with a re-inking roller, wherein the re-inking roller comprises an inking surface made of an elastomeric material impregnated with the ink composition.