Functional microfiber fabrication and assembly

Fibers serve as fundamental building blocks in hierarchical assembly, forming 1D bundles, 2D fabrics, and 3D textiles that perform critical functions in both biological systems and industrial applications. At the microscale, microfibers play essential roles across diverse fields, including cell culture, rheology, and tissue engineering. The efficient fabrication and assembly of functional microfibers is key to determining their capabilities and potential applications. In this research, nanoimprint lithography is introduced for the first time to fabricate several types of stimuli-responsive microfibers, which enable applications in micro-object manipulation, micro-mixing, and drug delivery. Additionally, stimuli-responsiveness is leveraged to control microfiber motion and assemble the microfibers into 2D plain weaves.