AG Selhuber-Unkel Research Responsive Materials
PHOTOMECHANICAL WRITING OF CELL FUNCTIONS
Biology-based robotics may one day soon save millions of lives with artificial organs and tissues generated from stem cells. The first step, however, is to gain a better understanding of cells and their dynamic and adaptive responses to external forces. The EU-funded PHOTOMECH project will explore force-controlled cell functions using a challenging and novel photomechanical cell stimulation approach. The project will collect previously unobtainable physical information within cells on multiple size scales.
MICROACTUATOR SYSTEMS
Stimuli-responsive hydrogels are highly interesting materials for generating microactuator systems, as they offer interesting properties for manipulating cells and micfluidic devices. Current hydrogel based microactuators, however, are very simple and the issue of bistability in their function is largely unexploited. We propose a novel strategy to achieve light switchable, bistable microactuator systems using stimuli-responsive polymers that can be modulated by molecular switches.
THERMORESPONSIVE MICROFLUIDICS
Microfluidic tools are often designed for a single function and have limited flexibility. Together with the Microfluidics Core Facility located at the IMSEAM, we established a novel method to modify microfluidic chips with thermoresponsive pNIPAM microactuators using direct laser writing (DLW). This method is based on two-photon polymerization and transforms static microfluidic channels into dynamic microfluidic systems. Overall, the method offers great flexibility in the design of the devices and a high degree of freedom. Harnessing the lower critical phase transition temperature of pNIPAM robust biocompatible filter devices for cell sorting were fabricated. This post-modification approach opens up doors towards reconfigurable microfluidics with a range of applications in lab-on-chip devices and biosciences.
Responsible scientists
- Chantal Barwig
- Dr. Sadaf Pashapour
- Annabelle Sonn
Funding and Collaborations
SPP KOMMMA Microfluidics Facility
Related Publications
- Barwig, C., Sonn, A., Spratte, T., Mishra, A., Blasco, E., Selhuber-Unkel, C. and Pashapour, S. (2024), “Two-Photon Direct Laser Writing of pNIPAM Actuators in Microchannels for Dynamic Microfluidics”. Adv. Intell. Syst. 2300829.
Systematically microengineered conductive hydrogels
Electrically conductive hydrogels are important materials with applications ranging from bioelectronics to cardiac tissue engineering. In this project, we will explore novel strategies for generating microengineered conductive hydrogels based on direct laser writing and electrospinning. We will in particular explore the resolution limits of fabricating conductive hydrogels with the different methods, leading to limits in conductivity and in the function of electrochemical transistors (ECTs), in which the materials will be incorporated. Detailed analysis of the structure-function relationship, e.g., dependency of electrical conductivity on branching of conductive channels and scaling of conductivity with decreasing size of the material, will be explored and strategies for integration in ECTs will be investigated.
Responsible Scientists
- Mona Maria Hämmerle
Funding and Collaborations
