Making 2D Hydrogels

Materials

• • Microscope slides

  • Glass cutter

  • Dye

  • Forceps

  • Small binder clips

  • Monomer formulation with initiator

Procedure

• 1. Warm up UV light (10 min prior to using)

  2. Cut at least two thin pieces from a microscope slide (spacers)

  3. Spray down microscope slides, spacers, forceps, dye, and binder clips and place in hood

  4. Assemble mold (see picture)

  5. Add ~1.5 ml of monomer solution to mold between microscope slides

  6. Place on pipette tip box and put under UV light for ~10 minutes

  7. Once polymerized, remove clips and pry open the mold taking care not to rip the polymer sheet

  8. Using the dye, punch out polymer disks

  9. Place disks in 12 or 24-well untreated plates and add sterile PBS

  10. Leave plates (with cover off) under UV light overnight

  11. Rinse wells with sterile PBS 3x before seeding cells