Flexible and Stretchable Micromagnet Arrays for Tunable Biointerfacing

Abstract

A process to surface pattern polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with ferromagnetic structures of varying sizes (micrometer to millimeter) and thicknesses (>70 μm) is developed. Their flexibility and magnetic reach are utilized to confer dynamic, additive properties to a variety of substrates, such as coverslips and Eppendorf tubes. It is found that these substrates can generate additional modes of magnetic droplet manipulation, and can tunably steer magnetic-cell organization.