Self-assembled hydrogel microspring for soft actuator

We found that a hydrogel microspring was formed by extruding sodium alginate pre-gel solution into calcium chloride solution using a bevel-tip microfluidic capillary. The formation of the microspring depends on the diameter of the capillary, flow rate and tip angle. As an example of soft actuator, the microspring including magnetic colloids was actuated by applying magnetic fields. We believe that the microspring will be used to various application including mechanical elements using soft materials.