Microfluidic synthesis and post processing of non-spherical polymeric microparticles

Microfluidic-based synthesis of non-spherical magnetic hydrogel microparticles.

Spherical and non-spherical magnetic hydrogel particles were synthesized in a microfluidic device containing an embedded UV light reflector. Monodisperse magnetic emulsion droplets were generated in a T-junction and allowed to relax into spheres, disks, and plugs in confining microchannel geometries. Particle morphology was locked-in via UV-initiated photopolymerization. The role of the reflect...

Supplementary information Microfluidic-based synthesis of non-spherical magnetic hydrogel microparticles

Squishy non-spherical hydrogel microparticles.

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 e...

Synthesis and self-assembly of amphiphilic polymeric microparticles.

We report the synthesis and self-assembly of amphiphilic, nonspherical, polymeric microparticles. Wedge-shaped particles bearing segregated hydrophilic and hydrophobic sections were synthesized in a microfludic channel by polymerizing across laminar coflowing streams of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers using continuous flow lithography (CFL). Particle monodispersity was characterized by mea...

The Synthesis and Assembly of Polymeric Microparticles Using Microfluidics

The controlled synthesis of micrometer-sized polymeric particles bearing features such as nonspherical shapes and spatially segregated chemical properties is becoming increasingly important. Such particles can enable fundamental studies on self-assembly and suspension rheology, as well as be used in applications ranging from medical diagnostics to photonic devices. Microfluidics has recently em...