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We review recent progress in the development of polymer nanostructured materials with periodic structures and compositions having applications in photonics and optical data storage. This review provides a brief description of the microfabrication and self-assembly methods used for the production of polymer materials with periodic structures, and highlights the properties and applications of photonic materials derived from block copolymers, colloid crystals, and microfabricated polymers. We conclude with a summary of current and future research efforts and opportunities in the development of polymer materials for photonic applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Elasticity of cellular microenvironments strongly influences cell motility, phagocytosis, growth and differentiation. Currently, the relationship between the cell behaviour and matrix stiffness is being studied for cells seeded on planar substrates, however in three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments cells may experience mechanical signalling that is distinct from that on a two-dimensional matrix. We report a microfluidic approach for high-throughput generation of 3D microenvironments with different elasticity for studies of cell fate. The generation of agarose microgels with different elastic moduli was achieved by (i) introducing into a microfluidic droplet generator two streams of agarose solutions, one with a high concentration of agarose and the other one with a low concentration of agarose, at varying relative volumetric flow rate ratios of the two streams, and (ii) on-chip gelation of the precursor droplets. At 37 °C, the method enabled a ∼35-fold variation of the shear elastic modulus of the agarose gels. The application of the method was demonstrated by encapsulating two mouse embryonic stem cell lines within the agarose microgels. This work establishes a foundation for the high-throughput generation of combinatorial microenvironments with different mechanical properties for cell studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since the inception of soft lithography, microfluidic devices for cardiovascular research have been fabricated easily and cost-effectively using the soft lithography method. The drawback of this method was the fabrication of microchannels with rectangular cross-sections, which did not replicate the circular cross-sections of blood vessels. This article presents a novel, straightforward approach for the fabrication of microchannels with circular cross-sections in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), using soft lithography. The method exploits the polymerization of the liquid silicone oligomer around a gas stream when both of them are coaxially introduced in the microchannel with a rectangular cross-section. We demonstrate (i) the ability to control the diameter of circular cross-sections of microchannels from ca. 40–100 μm; (ii) the fabrication of microchannels with constrictions, and (iii) the capability to grow endothelial cells on the inner surface of the microchannels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present a straightforward, accessible method to covalently pattern proteins in poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) microchannels. Our approach includes (i) region-specific photografting of a layer of poly(acrylamide) (PAAm) and (ii) bioconjugation of PAAm with a desired protein. The method produces symmetric protein patterns on all channel walls, which have high specificity and pattern fidelity, are compatible with a variety of geometries and exhibit excellent longevity under shear stresses of up to 1dyn/cm. We demonstrate the generality of the method by creating multi-protein gradients within microfluidic microchannels and by in-situ patterning of islands of multiple proteins. Protein activity was observed by the digestion of BODIPY–casein using channels patterned with trypsin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]