Figure 4
Optical microscopic images of an artificial hydrogel cupula: (a) Hydrogel drop-casted directly on the hair cell without the use of the nanofibril scaffold forms a semi-ellipsoid shaped cupula that creeps due to gravity onto the sensing membrane and forms the maximum diameter at the base.
(b) Cupula formed using a nanofibril scaffold has a prolate spheroid shape. The nanofibril scaffold prevents the hydrogel from reaching the membrane and ensures that the cupula has a maximum diameter in a location that extends into the flow beyond the boundary layer. (Images (a,b) were taken and edited by Ajay Giri Prakash Kottapalli).
