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Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Layer-by-layer Collagen Deposition in Microfluidic Devices for Microtissue Stabilization
Published on: September 29, 2015
Cromolyn/gelatin mixtures as aqueous alignment media and utilization of their mechanical stability for a layering
Thomas Niklas1,2, Philipp Schulze1, Christophe Farès2
1Chromatography Department, Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
Abstract:
In this study, aqueous blends of cromolyn and gelatin ("cromogels") are introduced as anisotropic media. The addition of gelatin enables an advantageous adjustability of the strength, the homogeneity, and the stability of the cromolyn alignment. The mechanical stability of these polymer-dispersed liquid crystals is further utilized by stacking layers of D2 O/cromolyn/gelatin with varying component ratio. The resulting distinct phases with correspondingly different degrees of alignment can be targeted by spatially resolved NMR techniques. As a case study, we investigated sucrose in a two-phase system with neat D2 O and analyte layered over the anisotropic medium. A recently presented spatially selective coupled-type HSQC experiment allows the determination of one-bond C-H splitting in both phases.
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