Enhanced-throughput production of polymersomes using a parallelized capillary microfluidic device

Citation:

Kim, S. - H. ; Kim, J. W. ; Kim, D. - H. ; Han, S. - H. ; Weitz, D. A. Enhanced-throughput production of polymersomes using a parallelized capillary microfluidic device. Microfluidics and Nanofluidics 2013, 14, 509-514. Copy at http://www.tinyurl.com/y6h7z7d5
kim2013.pdf599 KB

Abstract:

We report a parallelized capillary microfluidic device for enhanced production rate of monodisperse polymersomes. This device consists of four independent capillary microfluidic devices, operated in parallel; each device produces monodisperse water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double-emulsion drops through a single-step emulsification. During generation of the double-emulsion drops, the innermost water drop is formed first and it triggers a breakup of the middle oil phase over wide range of flow rates; this enables robust and stable formation of the double-emulsion drops in all drop makers of the parallelized device. Double-emulsion drops are transformed to polymersomes through a dewetting of the amphiphile-laden middle oil phase on the surface of the innermost water drop, followed by the subsequent separation of the oil drop. Therefore, we can make polymersomes with a production rate enhanced by a factor given by the number of drop makers in the parallelized device.

Publisher's Version

Last updated on 01/12/2021