Method for generating an artificially patterned substrate for stimulating the crystallization of a biomolecule thereon and method of stimulating the crystallization of biomolecules

• Main Authors: GOBRECHT, JENS, PADESTE, CELENTINO, SOLAK, HARUN, KAMBACH, CHRISTIAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 20.08.2003
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUSPOLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; APPARATUS THEREFOR; CHEMISTRY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; CRYSTAL GROWTH; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; MATERIALS THEREFOR; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PEPTIDES; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITHDEFINED STRUCTURE; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL; SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITHDEFINED STRUCTURE; SINGLE-CRYSTAL-GROWTH; UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL ORUNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL

It is the aim of the invention to provide a technology for the stimulation of the crystallization of biomolecules contained in a liquid solution that leads to significant improvements in the reliability of crystall growth processes and shortens the time and the number of attempts to grow a certain biomolecule crystal, also under the condition that only very small amounts of the biomolecules are available. This task is solved according to the invention by a method for generating an artificially patterned substrate for stimulating the crystallation of a biomolecule, comprising: a) treating a basic substrate for providing an artificially patterned substrate (4); i) generating said artificially patterned substrate by exposing x-ray-radiation to said basic substrate; ii) performing said exposing of the x-ray-radiation (2) according to X-ray interference lithography technology; With respect to a method for stimulating the crystallization of biomolecules from a liquid solution (20) containing said biomolecules (16, 18), this task is solved according to the invention by a method comprising: a) treating a basic substrate for providing an artificially patterned substrate; i) generating said artificially patterned substrate by exposing x-ray-radiation to said basic substrate; ii) performing said exposing of the X-ray-radiation according to X-ray interference lithography technology; b) bringing said artificially patterned substrate into contact with said solution for initiating the crystallization of said biomolecules on the pattern of the artificially patterned substrate.