A plug-and-play microfluidic device for hydrogel fiber spinning

Hydrogel fibers are promising biomaterials for a broad range of biomedical applications, including biosensing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Different types of microfluidic devices have been developed for hydrogel fiber spinning, however, they often require skillful fabrication procedures with special instruments such as 3D printers and clean-room facilities. On the other hand, microfluidic devices with predetermined and fixed configurations are susceptible to clotting, contamination, and damage, thereby creating a significant barrier for potential users. Herein, we describe a plug-and-play (PnP) microfluidic device for hydrogel fiber spinning. The PnP device was designed to be assembled in a modular manner based on simple mounting of PDMS elastomers on commercial Lego® blocks. Easy disassembly and re-assembly make the device user-friendly, since cleaning or replacing individual modules is convenient. We demonstrated the application of our PnP microfluidic device in alginate (Alg) hydrogel fiber spinning by using a single-module or double-module device. Moreover, thanks to the PnP approach, multi-layered fibers can be produced by using a triple-module device. As proof-of-principle, we fabricated pH-sensitive multi-layered fibers that could be used for monitoring biological environments, showcasing the potential of such a PnP device in advancing biomedical research related to functional fibers.