Microfluidic-Based Continuous Fabrication of Ultrathin Hydrogel Films with Controllable Thickness.

ABSTRACT

Ultrathin hydrogel films composed of cross-linked polymer networks swollen by water, with soft and moisturized features similar to biological tissue, play a vital role in flexible biosensors and wearable electronics. However, achieving efficient and continuous fabrication of such films remains a challenge. Here, we present a microfluidic-based strategy for the continuous fabrication of free-standing ultrathin hydrogel films by using laminar flow, which can be precisely controlled in the micrometer scale. Compared with conventional methods, the microfluidic-based method shows advantages in producing hydrogel films with a high homogeneity as well as maintaining the structural integrity, without the need of supporting substrates and sophisticated equipment. This strategy allows the precise control over the thickness of the hydrogel films ranging from 15 ± 0.2 to 39 ± 0.5 µm, by adjusting the height of the microfluidic channels, with predictable opportunities for scaling up. Therefore, our strategy provides a facile route to produce advanced thin polymer films in a universal, steerable, and scalable manner and will promote the applications of thin polymer films in biosensors and wearable electronics.