RESUMO
Supramolecular assemblies are promising building blocks for the fabrication of functional soft devices for high-tech applications. However, there is a lack of effective methods for large-scale manipulation and integration of nano-sized supramolecular structures on soft substrate. Now, functional soft devices composed of micellar filaments and hydrogels can be created through a versatile approach involving guided dewetting, transfer-printing, and laser-assisted patterning. Such an approach enables unprecedented control over the location and alignment of the micellar filaments on hydrogel substrates. As examples, freely suspended micellar fishnets immobilized on hydrogels are formed, showing the capability of trapping and releasing micro-objects and the piconewton force sensitivity. By incorporating responsive moieties into hydrogels, shape-morphing actuators with micelle-controlled rolling directionality are constructed.
RESUMO
In this study, a mask-less laser-assisted patterning method is used to fabricate well-defined cell-adhesive microdomains delimited by protein-repellent poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) microstructures prepared from multiarm (8-PEG) macromonomers. The response of murine fibroblasts (L-929) toward these microdomains is investigated, revealing effective cell confinement within the cell-adhesive areas surrounded by nonadhesive 8-PEG microstructures. Moreover, the spatial positioning of cells in microdomains of various sizes and geometries is analyzed, indicating control of cell density, size, and elongated cell shape induced by the size of the microdomains and the geometric confinement.