Patent ID: 7329319

Claim:
A method for the screening of crystallization conditions comprising the steps of: a) nucleating and growing crystals of a selected substance on functionalized metallic islands on a substrate, wherein the preparation of the crystals is accomplished in a micro-scale, high throughput manner comprising the steps of: i) preparing a bifunctional substrate with the metallic islands and multiple layers of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) having desired chemical functional groups, and ii) preparing the crystals from solution droplets on the metallic islands on the substrate; and b) after the crystals have formed on the metallic islands, analyzing the crystals, wherein the metallic islands are prepared so that solution droplets preferentially wet the metallic islands, and wherein the bifunctional substrate is prepared by a method comprising the steps of (a) depositing a metal adlayer onto the substrate to promote adhesion between the metal layer and substrate; (b) depositing a metal layer onto a surface of the substrate using a metal evaporation process so to create the metallic islands of the deposited metal; (c) depositing a first layer of the self-assembled monolayer (SAMs) with the a desired chemical functional group onto the metallic islands; and (d) depositing a second layer of the SAMs with another chemical functional group for use as backfill substrate onto the metallic islands.