A Phase Inversion-Based Microfluidic Fabrication of Helical Microfibers towards Versatile Artificial Abdominal Skin

Microfluidic spinning technology (MST), incorporating microfluidics with chemical reactions, has gained considerable interest for constructing anisotropic advanced microfibers, especially helical microfibers. However, these efforts suffer from the limited material choices, restricting their applications. Here, a new phase inversion-based microfluidic spinning (PIMS) method is proposed for producing helical microfibers. This method undergoes a physicochemical phase inversion process, which is capable of efficiently manufacturing strong (tensile stress of more than 25 MPa), stretchable, flexible and biocompatible helical microfibers. The helical microfibers can be used to fabricate bi-oriented stretchable artificial abdominal skin, preventing incisional hernia formation and promoting the wound healing without conglutination. This research not only offers a universal approach to design helical microfibers but also provides a new insight into artificial skin.