Fig. 1.

Schematic diagram of microgel assembly process. Microgel units were synthesized by photolithography, transferred into a dish containing mineral oil, and subjected to mechanical agitation applied by manually manipulating a pipette-tip in a back-and-forth manner. Four structural types of microgel assemblies were observed: linear, branched, random, and offset. Secondary cross-linking was achieved by exposing the microgel assemblies to UV light. (Scale bars, 200 μm.)