Squishy Non‐Spherical Hydrogel Microparticles

Abstract

Recent advances in the synthesis of polymeric colloids have opened the doors to new advanced materials. There is strong interest in using these new techniques to produce particles that mimic and/or interact with biological systems. An important characteristic of biological systems that has not yet been exploited in synthetic polymeric colloids is their wide range of deformability. A canonical example of this is the human red blood cell (RBC) which exhibits extreme reversible deformability under flow. Here we report the synthesis of soft polymeric colloids with sizes and shapes that mimic those of the RBC. Additionally, we demonstrate that the mechanical flexibility of the colloids can be reproducibly varied over a large range resulting in RBC-like deformability under physiological flow conditions. These materials have the potential to impact the interaction between biological and synthetic systems.

Porous polymer particles—A comprehensive guide to synthesis, characterization, functionalization and applications

“…The shapes and resolution of particles ( Fig. 24(B-D)) achieved with flow lithography techniques [259][260][261][262][263][264][265][266] are certainly unmatched by any other technique. …”

Design Advances in Particulate Systems for Biomedical Applications

“…[ 122 ] Such particles were highly deformable and able to pass through very small microchannels simulating the small natural capillaries. Ring shaped particles were also produced using the same methodology and in comparison with erythrocyte-shaped hydrogels they demonstrated less resistance during the passage through the simulated capillaries.…”

Red blood cell-mimicking synthetic biomaterial particles

“…The authors point to a recent report by Haghgooie et al (34) on synthesis of RBC-inspired, deformable soft hydrogel particles using stop flow lithography, which was published after the submission of this manuscript.…”