Glycodendron microarrays with defined valency have been constructed by on-chip synthesis on hydrophobic indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass slides and employed in lectin–carbohydrate
binding studies with several plant and human lectins. Glycodendrons presenting sugar epitopes at different valencies were prepared by spotwise strain-promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC) between immobilised cyclooctyne dendrons and azide functionalised glycans. The non-covalent immobilisation of dendrons on the ITO surface by hydrophobic interaction allowed us to study dendron surface density and SPAAC conversion rate by in situ MALDI-TOF MS analysis. By diluting the dendron surface density we could study how the carbohydrate–lectin interactions became exclusively dependant on the valency of the immobilized glycodendron.