Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 30, 2025
Microfluidic Fabrication of Polymeric and Biohybrid Fibers with Predesigned Size and Shape
Published on: January 8, 2014
Fabrication and Characterization of Hollow Microcapsules from Polyelectrolytes Bearing Thymine Pendant Groups for
Rodrigo E Giménez1,2, Mariana P Serrano1,2, Rosa María S Álvarez3
1Instituto de Bionanotecnología del NOA (INBIONATEC) CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero (UNSE), RN9, Km 1125, G4206XCP, Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
Abstract:
DNA - bioinspired polyelectrolytes poly[vinylbenzylthymine (VBT)-4-vinylbenzyltriethylammonium chloride (VBA)] and poly[vinylbenzylthymine (VBT)-4-vinylphenylsufonate (VPS)] were used for the preparation of hollow microcapsules (HMC) using the layer-by-layer method and CaCO3 microspheres as removable molds. Stable aqueous suspensions of spherical-shaped HMCs with a shell composed of six layers of VBA-based polyelectrolytes were obtained, of approximately (7.0±1.5) μm diameter and a shell thickness of 1 μm. Ultraviolet-B irradiation of the HMC suspensions induces an efficient crosslinking between adjacent polyelectrolyte chains through the formation of thymine photodimers, such as the cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) and the (6-4) pyrimidine-pyrimidone photoproduct (6-4PP). This process resulted in a reduction of the average interstitial mesh size of the HMC shells, modulating their permeability properties and increasing the mechanical stability of the HMC without a noticeable modification of size and shape. Thus, the DNA-bioinspired polyelectrolytes are promising materials for the preparation of UVB-responsive HMCs.
