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Layer-by-layer Adhesion of Hydrogels for Constructing Heterogeneous Microfluidic Chips
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  • Chong Shen,
  • Yingjun Li,
  • Wenqi She,
  • Qin Meng
Chong Shen
Zhejiang University
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Yingjun Li
Zhejiang University
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Wenqi She
Zhejiang University
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Qin Meng
Zhejiang University

Corresponding Author:mengq@zju.edu.cn

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Abstract

Hydrogel-based microfluidics offer an in vivo-relevant micro-environments for construction of organs-on-chips. However, the fabrication of heterogeneous microchannels using hydrogels is challenging and fails to mimic the complex structures of organs in vivo. Here we present a new methodology called “layer-by-layer adhesion” for the construction of complex microfluidic chips. A hydrosoluble and photo-crosslinkable adhesive, chitosan methacryloyl (CS-MA), was used to stitch various hydrogels together layer-by-layer to form perfusable microchannels. Our results show that CS-MA can bond different types of hydrogels with adhesion energy ranging from 1.2-140 N/m. Using the layer-by-layer adhesion approach, we constructed heterogeneous hydrogel-based microchannels with various morphologies of snail, spiral, vascular-like, and bilayer. Based on this methodology, liver-on-a-chip was established by entrapping hepatic cells inside a biocompatible Gel-MA layer and covering it with the perfusable microchannels in tough F127-DA layer. The “layer-by-layer adhesion” provides a facile and cytocompatible approach for engineering user-defined hydrogel-based chips potentially for organs-on-chips.
09 May 2023Submitted to AIChE Journal
27 May 2023Submission Checks Completed
27 May 2023Assigned to Editor
27 May 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
31 May 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
15 Jul 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Major
01 Aug 20231st Revision Received
06 Aug 2023Submission Checks Completed
06 Aug 2023Assigned to Editor
06 Aug 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
08 Aug 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
01 Oct 2023Editorial Decision: Accept