Microfluidic synthesis of polymer microcapsules with ultra-thin shell via thermally-induced polymerization

抄録

We report on synthesis of polymeric microcapsules with ultra-thin shell by thermally polymerizing microfluidic core-shell droplets. First, biphasic Janus droplets comprised of two immiscible oils (acrylate monomer and silicone oil) are produced in a co-flowing PVA aqueous phase in one-step manner in a microfluidic flow-focusing device. Then, the produced Janus droplets subsequently change their geometry to core-shell state with single silicone-oil core and acrylate-monomer shell by minimization of interfacial energy. Using the structural evolution, we demonstrated the production of oil-filled acrylate microcapsules with ultra-thin shell (thickness〜1 μm) by off-chip thermally-induced polymerization. Unlike the particles made by photo-induced polymerization, ultra-thin microcapsules synthesized by thermal polymerization have porous spherical surface morphology, which might have a number of applications such as ion exchanges, catalyst supports and drug delivery.