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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Jun 12.
Published in final edited form as: Med Biol Eng Comput. 2010 May 21;48(10):1023–1032. doi: 10.1007/s11517-010-0632-z

Table 1. Summary of the pros and cons of different micro/nanotechnologies.

Technologies Pros Cons Resolution Dimension(s)
Soft lithography

  1. Low cost

  2. High biocompatibility

 Diffusion from the ink can lower the resolution 30 nm–100 mm (Nano-imprint lithography can reach the resolution < 5 nm) 2D or 3D
Electrospinning

  1. Suitable for tissue engineering

  2. More flexibility in material requirement

 Low yield 3 nm–5 μm 3D
Dip-pen Allow the creation of biocompatible nanosized patterns

  1. Limited suitable materials

  2. Not suitable for curved surface

  3. High cost

 30 nm 2D
Electron beam writing High resolution

  1. Limited suitable materials

  2. Not suitable for curved surface

  3. High cost

 5 nm 2D