Stabilizing Coacervate by Microfluidic Engulfment Induced by Controlled Interfacial Energy

Biomacromolecules. 2020 Feb 10;21(2):930-938. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.9b01579. Epub 2019 Dec 9.

Abstract

Low interfacial energy, an intrinsic property of complex coacervate, enables the complex coacervate to easily encapsulate desired cargo substances, making it widely used in encapsulation applications. Despite this advantage, the low interfacial energy of the complex coacervate makes it unstable against mechanical mixing, and changes in pH and salt concentration. Hence, a chemical cross-linker is usually added to enhance the stability of the complex coacervate at the expense of sacrificing all intrinsic properties of the coacervate, including phase transition of the coacervate from liquid to solid. In this study, we observed an abrupt increase in the interfacial energy of the coacervate phase in mineral oil. By controlling the interfacial energy of the coacervate phase using a microfluidic device, we successfully created double engulfed PEG-diacrylate (PEGDA) coacervate microparticles, named DEPOT, in which the coacervate is engulfed in a cross-linked PEGDA shell. The engulfed coacervate remained as a liquid phase, retained its original low interfacial energy property to encapsulate the desired cargo substances, and infiltrated into the target site by a simple solvent exchange from oil to water.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Mice
  • Microfluidics / methods*
  • Microspheres*
  • Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry*
  • Polyethylene Glycols / metabolism
  • RAW 264.7 Cells
  • Surface Properties
  • Surface Tension
  • Water / chemistry
  • Water / metabolism

Substances

  • poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate
  • Water
  • Polyethylene Glycols