Fig. 4: Electrical “suturing” of two severed segments of a tube.
From: Reversible electroadhesion of hydrogels to animal tissues for suture-less repair of cuts or tears
A long QDM gel-strip is used as a sleeve around the two pieces of the Alg tube. The electrode orientation is as indicated. Schematic of the process is shown in (a) and a photo in (b). c Following this process, the Alg tube segments are found to be ‘sutured’ (joined) by the gel sleeve. d Stable flow occurs through the repaired tube to the waste beaker. The entire sequence of events is demonstrated by Supplementary Movie 2.
