Mastering a Double Emulsion in a Simple Co-Flow Microfluidic to Generate Complex Polymersomes

Abstract

We show that the production and the geometrical shape of complex polymersomes can be predicted by varying the flow rates of a simple microdevice using an empirical law which predicts the droplet size. This device is constituted of fused silica capillaries associated with adjusted tubing sleeves and T-junctions. Studying the effect of several experimental parameters, double emulsions containing a controlled number of droplets were fabricated. First, this study examines the stability of a jet in a simple confined microfluidic system, probing the conditions required for droplets production. Then, multicompartmental polymersomes were formed, controlling flow velocities. In this work, poly(dimethylsiloxane)-graft-poly(ethylene oxide) (PDMS-g-PEO) and poly(butadiene)-block-poly(ethyleneoxide) (PBut-b-PEO) amphiphilic copolymers were used and dissolved in chloroform/cyclohexane mixture. The ratio of these two solvents was adjusted in order to stabilize the double emulsion formation. The aqueous suspension contained poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), limiting the coalescence of the droplets. This work constitutes major progress in the control of double emulsion formation in microfluidic devices and shows that complex structures can be obtained using such a process.

Polymersomes in Polymersomes: Multiple Loading and Permeability Control

“…More complex or compartmentalized structures in general, have started to appear because they enable an unprecedented level of control, in particular in the fields of drug delivery [10] and confined reactors. [11] However, it is still very challenging [12] to encapsulate multiple distinct components in a single compartment [13] and control their stability and release properties. Such vesosome structures based on polymers that can be termed "polymersomes in polymersomes" have recently been reported.…”

Microfluidic fabrication of water-in-water (w/w) jets and emulsions

“…At high frequencies (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20), the jet appears to be perturbed at a higher frequency than the natural frequency of droplet formation (Figs. 2(i)-2(k)).…”

“…Advances in droplet microfluidics have enabled the generation of emulsions of complex geometry with a high degree of control over drop size and uniformity as well as with improved encapsulation efficiencies. 1,2 These have led to a plethora of novel approaches for fabricating functional materials, 3,4 which includes microgel particles, [5][6][7][8][9] liposomes, [10][11][12][13] polymersomes, [14][15][16][17][18] and colloidosomes. 9,19,20 Most of these approaches involve the use of emulsion drops as templates and these emulsions contain at least one organic solvent as one of the emulsion phases.…”

Asymmetric Hybrid Polymer–Lipid Giant Vesicles as Cell Membrane Mimics

“…Among these biomimetic systems, cells are certainly not only the most fascinating but also the most difficult to reproduce both from structural and functional view points. Some key properties have been reproduced, such as compartmentalization,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 cytoskeleton mimics,15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or simple (bio)chemical reactions 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29. The cell membrane structure is often simplified using lipids, or lipid mix with addition of cholesterol, which is really far from reality, not only considering the chemical structure but also the biophysical properties of the membrane 30.…”