Liquid Marble with Embedded Hydrogel: A Versatile Microbioreactor for Cell Biology Applications

Abstract

We report a unique and robust bioreactor platform based on liquid marble (LM) with embedded hydrogel for digital microfluidics. The LM is a liquid droplet coated with hydrophobic powder. To prevent this droplet from evaporation, the LM floats on a liquid surface. Furthermore, a hydrogel loaded with growth factors and drugs is embedded in the LM. The hydrogel maintains the water content and concurrently acts as a slow-release carrier. This unique bioreactor platform allows for the use of liquid marble in various applications such as 3D cell culture, co-culture and cryopreservation.