Auto nano-fabrication of patterned 3D architecture using cellulose nano-fiber secreted by Acetobacter xylinum

Acetobacter xylinum secretes cellulose nano-fibers with 40-60nm in width. Recently, Kondo et al. reported the method to regulate the direction of the fiber secretion due to the strong interaction with the nematic ordered cellulose (NOC)¹⁾ template²⁾. By the deposition of the secreted nano-fiber epitaxially with the same direction as the molecular orientation of the NOC, a 3D structure having a uniaxial lattice pattern was supposed to be automatically built by the incubation of the bacteria on the substrate. In this paper, a template having a desired pattern was made on the surface of a modified BC pellicle with a flat hydrophobic surface. The hydrophilic pattern was constructed by scratching the hydrophobic surface using AFM. When the bacteria were cultivated on this template, a 3D nano-architecture built on the hydrophilic pattern was proved to appear.