Maskless microfabrication of thermosensitive gels using a microscope and application to a controlled release microchip.

Here we show a simple and convenient method to prepare micropatterned gels by the use of a microscope, without large-scale or special-order experimental setup. UV light focused by an objective lens was locally irradiated to a pre-gel solution in a microchannel. This method would be useful for preparing microgels at target positions in microchips.