Microfluidically fabricated pH-responsive anionic amphiphilic microgels for drug release.

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Amphiphilic microgels are versatile materials for drug delivery and encapsulation.
• Conventional microgel synthesis can be complex and time-consuming.
• Developing efficient and automated methods for microgel production is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an integrated, automated platform for rapid synthesis of amphiphilic microgels.
• To investigate the structure-property relationships of microgels based on acrylic acid (AA) and n-butyl acrylate (BuA).
• To evaluate the drug delivery capabilities and swelling behavior of the synthesized microgels.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a microfluidic lab-on-a-chip device for droplet generation and photopolymerization.
• Synthesized hydrophobic droplets containing protected AA, BuA, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), and a free radical initiator.
• Hydrolyzed the microgels post-polymerization to yield anionic amphiphilic microgels.

Main Results:

• Successfully produced anionic amphiphilic microgels with a random copolymer structure, not core-shell.
• Demonstrated the ability of microgels to encapsulate and deliver both hydrophobic and hydrophilic model substances.
• Observed that microgel swelling and drug delivery were influenced by solution pH and hydrophobic content.

Conclusions:

• The microfluidic platform enables rapid, automated, and in situ production of tunable amphiphilic microgels.
• The random amphiphilic copolymer structure allows for versatile encapsulation and delivery applications.
• The pH and hydrophobic content offer control over microgel performance for targeted delivery systems.