Multifunctional Hierarchically-Assembled Hydrogel Particles with Pollen Grains via Pickering Suspension...

Area of Science:

• Interface and colloid science
• Materials science
• Biomaterials engineering

Background:

• Hierarchical assembly of heterogeneous particles is crucial in materials science.
• Developing scalable methods for creating functional particles is an ongoing challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile and scalable approach for producing multifunctional hydrogel particles armored with biological colloidal species.
• To explore the potential applications of these engineered particles.

Main Methods:

• Combining Pickering stabilization with photopolymerization.
• Utilizing biocompatible hollow pollen grains as natural solid emulsifiers.
• Forming water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion droplets stabilized by pollen grains.
• Solidifying droplets into hydrogel particles via UV-induced polymerization.
• Creating core-shell structures with pollen grains forming a robust shell.

Main Results:

• Successfully produced large-scale multifunctional hydrogel particles with pollen grain shells.
• Demonstrated tunable particle size by adjusting process parameters.
• Observed transient floating behavior of core-shell particles upon hydration.
• Incorporated magnetic or upconverting luminescent nanoparticles to expand functionality.

Conclusions:

• The developed method offers a powerful approach for producing advanced hydrogel particles.
• These core-shell particles show promise for applications in floating drug delivery and as ecofriendly proppants.
• The hierarchical assembly of biological and synthetic components opens new design opportunities.