Fig. P1.

(Upper) Transmission EM and optical microscopy images of a wormlike micellar precursor solution transitioning to highly entangled and branched gel-like, stable FISPs as they pass through an array of microposts. (Lower) High stretching and flow alignment in the micropost array enhance the flexibility and lower the bending modulus of the wormlike micelles. As flexible micelles flow through the microposts, it becomes energetically favorable to minimize the number of end caps while concurrently promoting the formation of cross-links.