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Towards Designer Microparticles: Simultaneous Control of Anisotropy, Shape, and Size
Author(s) -
Bhaskar Srijanani,
Pollock Kelly Marie,
Yoshida Mutsumi,
Lahann Joerg
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.200901306
Subject(s) - materials science , anisotropy , polymer , nanotechnology , electrohydrodynamics , microparticle , filtration (mathematics) , volumetric flow rate , range (aeronautics) , chemical engineering , composite material , optics , chemistry , mechanics , physics , statistics , mathematics , electrode , engineering
Biodegradable, compositionally anisotropic microparticles with two distinct compartments that exhibit controlled shapes and sizes are fabricated. These multifunctional particles are prepared by electrohydrodynamic co‐jetting of poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) polymer solutions. By varying different solution and process parameters, namely, concentration and flow rate, a variety of non‐equilibrium bicompartmental shapes, such as discoid and rod‐shaped microparticles are produced in high yields. Optimization of jetting parameters, combined with filtration, results in near‐perfect, bicompartmental spherical particles in the size range of 3–5 µm. Simultaneous control over anisotropy, size, shape, and surface structure provides an opportunity to create truly multifunctional microparticles for a variety of biological applications, such as drug delivery, diagnostic assays, and theranostics.