Hydrogel microwells with light-controlled reversible closure
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866916065422868480 |
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| author | Ma, Qifei Urban, David Gabetti, Stefano Masante, Beatrice Jin, Huaizhou Galvagno, Federica Massai, Diana Puliafito, Alberto Jin, Shangzhong Garoli, Denis Descrovi, Emiliano |
| author_facet | Ma, Qifei Urban, David Gabetti, Stefano Masante, Beatrice Jin, Huaizhou Galvagno, Federica Massai, Diana Puliafito, Alberto Jin, Shangzhong Garoli, Denis Descrovi, Emiliano |
| contents | We present a light-responsive hydrogel nanocomposite engineered into arrays of micrometer-scale wells that can be selectively and sequentially closed and re-opened via laser illumination. Polarization-controlled light exposure induces anisotropic surface deformations, leading to the formation of protrusive flaps sealing the wells. Owing to the intrinsic elasticity and anti-adhesive properties of the hydrogel matrix, the deformation process is partially reversible, allowing flap retraction and restoration of the original well geometry. This platform facilitates contactless, on-demand trapping and release of microscale objects using a standard optical microscopy configuration. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate the controlled manipulation of a single polystyrene microbead using optical tweezers, including bead positioning within a well, light-triggered closure, and subsequent reopening to release the particle into the surrounding aqueous environment. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_31230 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Hydrogel microwells with light-controlled reversible closure Ma, Qifei Urban, David Gabetti, Stefano Masante, Beatrice Jin, Huaizhou Galvagno, Federica Massai, Diana Puliafito, Alberto Jin, Shangzhong Garoli, Denis Descrovi, Emiliano Applied Physics We present a light-responsive hydrogel nanocomposite engineered into arrays of micrometer-scale wells that can be selectively and sequentially closed and re-opened via laser illumination. Polarization-controlled light exposure induces anisotropic surface deformations, leading to the formation of protrusive flaps sealing the wells. Owing to the intrinsic elasticity and anti-adhesive properties of the hydrogel matrix, the deformation process is partially reversible, allowing flap retraction and restoration of the original well geometry. This platform facilitates contactless, on-demand trapping and release of microscale objects using a standard optical microscopy configuration. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate the controlled manipulation of a single polystyrene microbead using optical tweezers, including bead positioning within a well, light-triggered closure, and subsequent reopening to release the particle into the surrounding aqueous environment. |
| title | Hydrogel microwells with light-controlled reversible closure |
| topic | Applied Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.31230 |