Multicompartment Polymersomes from Double Emulsions
Entry by Pichet Adstamongkonkul, AP 225, Fall 2011
Work in progress
Reference:
Title: Multicompartment Polymersomes from Double Emulsions
Authors: Ho Cheung Shum, Yuan-jin Zhao, Shin-Hyun Kim, and David A. Weitz
Journal: Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2011, Vol. 50, No. 7
Keyword: double emulsion, polymersome, microfluidics
Summary
Conventional polymersomes are usually spherical in shape and consist of single compartment. This paper presented an alternative method, in which polymersomes with multiple compartments can be fabricated via water/oil/water double emulsions and the help of microfluidics technology. The polymer, PEG(5000)-b-PLA(5000), was used to form emulsion in the mixture solution of chloroform and hexanes, and stabilized with PVA solution. Upon removal of solvent in the oil shell, the water/oil and oil/water interfaces come together, forming a membrane and causing the neighboring inner droplets to adhere to one another and form multicompartment polymersomes. In addition, many aspects of the polymersomes, such as the membrane thickness and the number of compartments, can be controlled and fine-tuned by changing the flow rate of the solution from the microfluidic channels. The authors further investigated the possibility of incorporating two different encapsulants, one with a fluorescent-tagged dextran solution and another with PEG solution, into these newly developed polymersomes. The experiment confirmed the formation of multicompartment polymersomes with the two encapsulants segregated in different compartments. This technique is proven useful in many applications, including delivery and controlled reactions.
Background
Polymersomes are typically prepared by precipitating block copolymers from the solvents via the addition of a poor solvent, or rehydrating a dried film of the copolymers. For the conventional emulsion methods, the non-spherical droplets are not favored energetically, since the interfacial tension between two immiscible phases favors spherical geometry that have the smallest surface area per volume (lowest surface energy). With this current approach, multicompartment polymersomes could be generated.
Method
The glass capillary microfluidics were used to prepare the emulsion. Multiple inner droplets were dissolved in the mixture of chloroform and hexanes.
Results and Discussion
Applications
First of all, non-spherical, multicompartment capsules have potential for encapsulation and delivery applications. They can be used to stored incompatible chemicals or solutions or functional components separately. This would reduce the risk of cross-contamination and allow multiple reactants to react upon triggering the release. The associated stoichiometric ratio can be manipulated by changing the number of compartments within a capsule. The polymer length, biocompatibility, functionality and degradation rates can be tailored for specific problems.
