Issue 10, 2019

Microscopic hollow hydrogel springs, necklaces and ladders: a tubular robot as a potential vascular scavenger

Abstract

Microscopic hollow hydrogel fibers are capable of being used as carriers, scaffolds and actuators for biomedical applications. However, preparation of sophisticated geometries remains a challenge. We herein present a non-coaxial microfluidic method, which is different from traditional coaxial devices that form perfusable channels during the extruding process. Our method produces solid microfibers into tris(hydroxymethy)aminomethane–HCl buffered solution containing CuSO4 and H2O2 elements, where chemical reactions contribute to hollow structures. The process doesn’t require coaxial nozzles, whereby it allows generation of sophisticated geometries with interconnected channels including single- and double-helical springs, necklaces and ladders by adjusting the distance between the nozzles and liquid level. After magnetizing the hollow microfibers, they can be steered by magnetic actuation to generate controllable movements and to navigate across unstructured environments in liquid systems. The hollow microfibers are non-toxic. We thus show an interesting concept by preparing hollow microfibers into a tubular small-scale robot that can shift inside an artificial blood vessel to clean up blockages, demonstrating potential application as a vascular scavenger.

Graphical abstract: Microscopic hollow hydrogel springs, necklaces and ladders: a tubular robot as a potential vascular scavenger

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
24 мај 2019
Accepted
22 јул. 2019
First published
22 јул. 2019

Mater. Horiz., 2019,6, 2135-2142

Microscopic hollow hydrogel springs, necklaces and ladders: a tubular robot as a potential vascular scavenger

S. Liang, Y. Tu, Q. Chen, W. Jia, W. Wang and L. Zhang, Mater. Horiz., 2019, 6, 2135 DOI: 10.1039/C9MH00793H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements