Photolithographically assembled polyelectrolyte complexes as shape-directing templates for thermoreversible gels

Preparation of soft materials with diverse, customized shapes has been a topic of intense research interest. To this end, we have recently demonstrated photolithographic directed assembly as a strategy for customizing polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) shape. This process uses in situ photopolymerization of an anionic monomer in the presence of a cationic polymer, which drives localized PEC formation at the irradiation sites. Here, we show how such …