Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India.
J Colloid Interface Sci. 2017 Dec 1;507:27-34. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2017.07.100. Epub 2017 Jul 28.
In this work, we present a robust microfluidic platform for controlled and complete on-chip generation of alginate microcapsules with single and double liquid cores. A combined Coflow and T-junction configuration implemented in a hybrid glass-PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) device is used for the generation of microcapsules with oil as liquid core. Frequency matching of oil-alginate double emulsion generation with that of aqueous Calcium chloride droplet generation allows for controlled merging of the two, resulting in reliable production of microcapsules. Confocal imaging of microcapsule cross-section reveals presence of intact liquid core. In the case of double core microcapsules, the two cores are well separated by alginate layer ensuring their long term stability. The current approach is expected to have advantages over existing techniques for liquid core microcapsule generation in terms of continuity of the process, control over core stability, and non-damage to cells when used for cell encapsulation applications.
在这项工作中，我们提出了一种稳健的微流控平台，用于可控且完全在芯片上生成具有单和双液芯的海藻酸盐微胶囊。在混合玻璃-PDMS（聚二甲基硅氧烷）装置中实现的共流和 T 型结配置用于生成以油为液芯的微胶囊。油-海藻酸钠双重乳液生成与水性氯化钙液滴生成的频率匹配允许两者的受控合并，从而可靠地生产微胶囊。微胶囊横截面的共焦成像显示存在完整的液芯。在双芯微胶囊的情况下，两个芯通过海藻酸盐层很好地分离，确保其长期稳定性。与现有的用于生成液芯微胶囊的技术相比，当前方法有望在过程的连续性、对芯稳定性的控制以及用于细胞封装应用时对细胞的无损性方面具有优势。
