Figure 1.

Annealing PEG-VS microgels. A) The ratio of PEG-VS to PEG-DT can be stoichiometrically controlled so that arms are left free for annealing. B) Microgels are soaked in an annealing solution containing PEG-DT before being spun down and supernatant aspirated. The microgel slurry is then deposited in the desired location and exposed to UV light for 2 minutes to anneal. C) Storage modulus of microgel scaffolds increases over time when exposed to UV light. D) The annealing solution containing NVP and PEG-DT produced the strongest annealed scaffold. E) A comparison of different PEG-DT concentrations in the annealing solution. A 5 mM solution was sufficient for maximum annealing. Scale bar represents 200 μm. Statistics: two-way ANOVA, Tukey’s multiple comparisons test. n ≥ 4. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001