Electrodeposition Induced Alginate Hydrogel Formation on patterned electrodes

hydrogel formation is critical for cell culture and tissue regeneration. This paper proposed a method to control the shape of calcium alginate hydrogels through patterned electrodes. First, one piece of paper with various patterned holes was placed on one ITO glass surface, which was put below another ITO plate. Then, sodium alginate solution with CaCO3 particles was sandwiched between these two plates. Hydrogel formed on the patterned electrodes when voltage was applied due to electrochemical deposition. The experiments demonstrated that the pattern of alginate hydrogels followed the pattern of electrodes exactly. This method used an insulated layer (paper) to form the gel pattern, which was easy and cheap. This design provides a good way to prepare scaffolds for 3D cell culture.