Microfluidics: A Tool to Control the Size and Composition of Particles

Authors

  • Esther Amstad Soft Materials Laboratory, Institute of Materials Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) EPFL-STI-IMX-SMAL Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. esther.amstad@epfl.ch

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2017.334

Keywords:

Encapsulation, Microfluidics

Abstract

Particles and capsules are used as containers for active ingredients to delay their degradation and control the location and kinetics of their release. Key to a successful application of these containers is a good control over their size, composition, and the release kinetics of encapsulants. These parameters can be tuned if containers are made from drops of a controlled size and composition; a method that enables formation of drops of a defined size is microfluidics. This review highlights some recent developments in the use of drops made with microfluidics to produce particles and capsules of controlled sizes, compositions, and structures.

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Published

2017-06-28