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Soft temperature-responsive microgels of complex shape in stop-flow lithography.

Hanna J M Wolff1, John Linkhorst1, Tim Göttlich1

  • 1RWTH Aachen University, AVT.CVT - Chemical Process Engineering, Forckenbeckstr. 51, 52074 Aachen, Germany. manusripts.cvt@avt.rwth-aachen.de.

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|December 6, 2019
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Summary

Stop-flow lithography (SFL) successfully fabricates complex-shaped, temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAm) microgels. This breakthrough enables advanced applications in tissue engineering and soft robotics.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Microfabrication

Background:

  • Stop-flow lithography (SFL) is a high-throughput method for fabricating microparticles.
  • Fabrication of soft, anisometric microgels, especially with complex shapes and temperature-responsive behavior, remains underexplored.
  • Such microgels are crucial for emerging fields like tissue engineering and soft robotics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate the viability of SFL for producing soft, temperature-responsive, and complex-shaped microgels.
  • To investigate the influence of fabrication parameters on microgel properties.
  • To characterize the temperature-responsive behavior of the fabricated microgels.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized stop-flow lithography (SFL) for microgel fabrication.
  • Employed poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAm) as the base polymer, crosslinked with N,N'-methylenebis(acrylamide).
  • Varied crosslinker concentration and used transparency masks to control shape and stability.

Main Results:

  • SFL successfully produced soft, temperature-responsive, complex-shaped pNIPAm microgels.
  • Microgel shape is dictated by the transparency mask used in SFL.
  • A minimum crosslinker concentration of 2 wt% is necessary for stable microgels, with higher concentrations allowing tunable stiffness.
  • The fabricated microgels exhibit reversible swelling in response to temperature changes, even for intricate geometries.

Conclusions:

  • SFL is a powerful technique for fabricating advanced soft microgels with combined shape complexity and temperature responsiveness.
  • The developed microgels offer enhanced design freedom for actuated building blocks in various technological applications.
  • This work expands the capabilities of SFL for creating functional microstructures for tissue engineering and soft robotics.