Engineering the Size of Bicontinuous Nanospheres via Multi-Inlet Vortex Mixing

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Bicontinuous nanospheres (BCNs) offer unique advantages for co-loading hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances.
• Controlling BCN size has been a significant challenge, limiting their application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a scalable method for tuning the size distribution of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(propylene sulfide) BCNs.
• To investigate the impact of fabrication parameters on BCN morphology and size.
• To explore the in vitro and in vivo behavior of BCNs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a multi-inlet vortex mixer to control BCN self-assembly.
• Employed small-angle X-ray scattering and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy for structural analysis.
• Conducted in vitro protein corona studies and in vivo organ biodistribution assays.

Main Results:

• Higher mixing times and polymer concentrations resulted in larger BCNs; lower values yielded spherical micelles.
• Confirmed bicontinuous morphology and increased surface roughness of BCNs compared to polymersomes.
• Organ biodistribution in vivo was primarily influenced by nanocarrier size, not morphology.

Conclusions:

• A robust and scalable approach for fabricating size-tunable BCNs was developed.
• BCN size, rather than morphology, dictates in vivo organ biodistribution.
• Understanding dynamic biological interactions informs future nanocarrier design.