Fig. 1: TAP gels mimicking hierarchical heterogeneous biological tissues.
From: Phase-separation facilitated one-step fabrication of multiscale heterogeneous two-aqueous-phase gel
a Schematic illustration of biological tissues with heterogeneous structures at different length scales: human skins with distinct layers in parallel at macroscales; cell patterns within each tissue layer at mesoscales; cellular compartmentalization at microscales. b Schematic phase diagram of an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) system consisting of polymer A and polymer B. A bimodal curve colored in deep orange is delineated as the critical boundary between the single-phase regime and the two-phase regime. An initial point in the two-phase regime phase separates into two thermal equilibrium aqueous phases, the polymer A-rich phase and polymer B-rich phase, following a tie line. c Schematic figures of multiscale two-aqueous-phase (TAP) gels as a resemblance of biological tissues, including multi-layer structures at macroscales, programable printed structures at mesoscales, and molecular compartmentalization and partitioning at microscales.
