Facile Fabrication of Starch-Based Microrods by Shear-Assisted Antisolvent-Induced Nanoprecipitation and
Qimeng Zhang1,2, Xiaopeng Pei1, Kepeng Hu3
1Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Biophysics, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China.
Abstract:
Rod-like particles have attracted increasing attention because of their unique shape-dependent properties, which enable their superior performance compared to their isotropic counterparts. Thus, rod-like particles have potential applications in many fields, especially in biomedicine. However, the fabrication of uniform rod-like particles is challenging because of the principle of interfacial energy minimization. Herein, we present a facile, rapid, and cost-effective strategy for preparing starch-based microrods with tunable aspect ratios via shear-assisted antisolvent-induced nanoprecipitation and solidification. The preformed spherical particles swollen by the mixed solvent were elongated by the shear force and solidified in rod-like shape by antisolvent induction. The resulting starch-based microrods can encapsulate hydrophobic active substances and be modified with functional groups, indicating their potential applications as drug carriers and biologically active materials. The formation mechanism of the starch-based microrods discovered in this study provides a new perspective on the fabrication of rod-like polymer particles.
