Microfluidic Engineering of Crater-Terrain Hydrogel Microparticles: Toward Novel Cell Carriers

Fabrication and application of novel anisotropic microparticles are of wide interest. Herein, a new method for producing novel crater-terrain hydrogel microparticles is presented using a concept of droplet-aerosol impact and regional polymerization. The surface pattern of microparticles is similar to the widespread "crater" texture on the lunar surface and can be regulated by the impact morphology of aerosols on the droplet surface. Methodological applicability was demonstrated by producing ionic-cross-linked (alginate) and photo-cross-linked (poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate, PEGDA) microparticles. Additionally, the crater-terrain microparticles (CTMs) can induce nonspecific protein absorption on their surface to acquire cell affinity, and they were exploited as cell carriers to load living cells. Cells could adhere and proliferate, and a special cellular adhesion fingerprint was observed on the novel cell carrier. Therefore, the scalable manufacturing method and biological potential make the engineered microparticles promising to open a new avenue for exploring cell-biomaterial crosstalk.