Protocol

A Simple Free-Radical Polymerization Method for the Fabrication of Microscale Acrylonitrile Fibers for Cellular Probing

Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA

¹ Current address: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.

Corresponding author (mrg2126{at}columbia.edu)

INTRODUCTION

This protocol describes a simple method to free-radical-polymerize reagent-grade acrylonitrile and then fabricate microscale fibers with diameter constraints of 1-2 µm and lengths of 10-50 mm. These fibers have stiffness and elastic modulus values with powerful implications for cellular probing and positioning on the microscale, as well as potential applications in the field of cellular mechanics of materials. In the past, creation of polymer fibers of known dimensions was accomplished using complex mechanical devices that introduced the polymer into a heated and pressurized vessel for a specified time period. These devices were either laboratory fabrications or purchased, and each was specific to a given polymer. This protocol is a more rapid procedure requiring only standard laboratory bench equipment. It also provides the time-dependent parameters for control of the fiber properties. The protocol has three modifiable parameters that can alter the material properties of the fibers. Here we present the definitive techniques that remove the need for more complicated machinery.