Our Mission:
In our group, we combine chemical and lithographic approaches to create interactive programable hydrogel microparticles (microgels) which serve as microscopic soft robots, building blocks for artificial tissues, in-vivo sensors, and others. To achieve that, we aim to develop following key abilities of the microgels:
Responsiveness
The microgel detects changes in its environment and respond to them
Mobility
The microgel reaches the desired location in (biological) environment, either passively by tailored set of properties, or actively through microgel locomotion, resembling motion of unicellular organisms.
Connectivity
Individual microgels can assemble autonomously into ordered structures.
Temporal programming
The microgel properties are subject to pre-programmed spontaneous changes.
Biocompatibility
The microgels consist from materials tolerated in-vivo to avoid adverse interactions with their living surrounding.