Nanofibrillar thermoreversible micellar microgels

By using microfluidics, we generated micellar nanofibrillar microgels from solutions of worm-like micelles of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)block-polystyrene. The microgels were formed under physiological conditions (pH = 7.4, 37 degrees C) and rapidly dissociated upon cooling to 25-27 degrees C, thereby enabling cell encapsulation and release for further characterization. Our work offers a new concept for the generation of dynamic artificial three-dimensional microenvironments for studies of cell fate.