Silicone elastomer stamp with hydrophilic surface and method for producing the same

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a silicone elastomer stamp with a hydrophilic surface. SOLUTION: The method for fabricating silicone elastomer stamps with hydrophilic surfaces is provided. The concept of polymer grafting is used to produce the stamps. The stamps thus produced have the great advantage that grafting of a thin hydrophilic polymer on a hydrophobic PDMS surface can render PDMS stamps permanently hydrophilic. With such stamps, it becomes possible to print aqueous or highly polar inks reproducibly over days and weeks.