Versatile Approach for Integrative and Functionalized Tubes by Strain Engineering of Nanomembranes on Polymers

We have developed a generic approach to engineer tubular micro-/nanostructures out of many different materials (see figure) with tunable diameters and lengths by precisely releasing and rolling up functional nanomembranes on polymers. The technology spans across different scientific fields ranging from photonics to biophysics and we demonstrate optical ring resonators, magneto-fluidic sensors, remotely controlled microjets and 2D confined channels for cell growth guiding.