Fig. 1

Design of hydrogel unit, fluidic channel and assembly process. a A hydrogel unit consists of basal part, villi structure, and latch blocks. b Fluidic channel has latch structures where the latch blocks of hydrogel units are geometrically locked. c Schematic representation of the assembly process. Hydrogel units are assembled in a fluidic channel by intermeshing latch blocks and latch structures. After assembly, the fluidic channel is covered with a glass slide to seal the microfluidic environment