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Biodegradable Microcapsules Prepared by Self-Healing of Porous Microspheres
Xiang-Ming Na1,2, Fei Gao1, Li-Ye Zhang2
1National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China.
ACS Macro Letters
|May 24, 2022
Summary
This study introduces a novel self-healing method for creating biodegradable microcapsules from porous microspheres. This technique enhances encapsulation efficiency and protects delicate core materials, offering an alternative to traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Traditional microencapsulation methods face challenges like shear destruction and solvent erosion.
- Developing robust and efficient methods for biodegradable microcapsule production is crucial for drug delivery and other applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a novel method for producing biodegradable microcapsules via self-healing of porous microspheres.
- To demonstrate the effectiveness of this post-healing approach for improved encapsulation.
Main Methods:
- Preparation of porous microspheres using a two-step water-in-oil-in-water (W1/O/W2) double-emulsion template.
- Loading of core materials (e.g., proteins, latex particles) by diffusion.
- Inducing self-healing of surface pores using solvent swelling or infrared irradiation to form closed microcapsules.
Main Results:
- Successfully produced biodegradable microcapsules using methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly-dl-lactide (PELA).
- Demonstrated feasibility with other biodegradable polymers like poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA).
- The post-healing approach effectively protected core materials during encapsulation.
Conclusions:
- The proposed self-healing method offers a superior alternative to traditional two-step emulsification techniques.
- This approach overcomes drawbacks associated with shear forces and solvent exposure, ensuring integrity of encapsulated materials.
- The method is versatile and applicable to various biodegradable polymers for advanced microcapsule fabrication.
