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Gonçalves RC, Oliveira MB, Mano JF. Exploring the potential of all-aqueous immiscible systems for preparing complex biomaterials and cellular constructs. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2024. [PMID: 39010747 DOI: 10.1039/d4mh00431k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
All-aqueous immiscible systems derived from liquid-liquid phase separation of incompatible hydrophilic agents such as polymers and salts have found increasing interest in the biomedical and tissue engineering fields in the last few years. The unique characteristics of aqueous interfaces, namely their low interfacial tension and elevated permeability, as well as the non-toxic environment and high water content of the immiscible phases, confer to these systems optimal qualities for the development of biomaterials such as hydrogels and soft membranes, as well as for the preparation of in vitro tissues derived from cellular assembly. Here, we overview the main properties of these systems and present a critical review of recent strategies that have been used for the development of biomaterials with increased levels of complexity using all-aqueous immiscible phases and interfaces, and their potential as cell-confining environments for micropatterning approaches and the bioengineering of cell-rich structures. Importantly, due to the relatively recent emergence of these areas, several key design considerations are presented, in order to guide researchers in the field. Finally, the main present challenges, future directions, and adaptability to develop advanced materials with increased biomimicry and new potential applications are briefly evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel C Gonçalves
- Department of Chemistry, CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Mariana B Oliveira
- Department of Chemistry, CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - João F Mano
- Department of Chemistry, CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
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2
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Qi C, Ma X, Zeng Q, Huang Z, Zhang S, Deng X, Kong T, Liu Z. Multicompartmental coacervate-based protocell by spontaneous droplet evaporation. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1107. [PMID: 38321061 PMCID: PMC10847435 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45411-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Hierarchical compartmentalization, a hallmark of both primitive and modern cells, enables the concentration and isolation of biomolecules, and facilitates spatial organization of biochemical reactions. Coacervate-based compartments can sequester and recruit a large variety of molecules, making it an attractive protocell model. In this work, we report the spontaneous formation of core-shell cell-sized coacervate-based compartments driven by spontaneous evaporation of a sessile droplet on a thin-oil-coated substrate. Our analysis reveals that such far-from-equilibrium architectures arise from multiple, coupled segregative and associative liquid-liquid phase separation, and are stabilized by stagnation points within the evaporating droplet. The formation of stagnation points results from convective capillary flows induced by the maximum evaporation rate at the liquid-liquid-air contact line. This work provides valuable insights into the spontaneous formation and maintenance of hierarchical compartments under non-equilibrium conditions, offering a glimpse into the real-life scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Qi
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Optomechatronics Engineering, College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Xudong Ma
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Optomechatronics Engineering, College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Qi Zeng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Optomechatronics Engineering, College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhangwei Huang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Optomechatronics Engineering, College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Shanshan Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, 518000, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaokang Deng
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, 518000, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Tiantian Kong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, 518000, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
- Department of Urology, Inst Translat Med, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Zhou Liu
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, 518000, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
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3
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Ben Messaoud G, Aveic S, Wachendoerfer M, Fischer H, Richtering W. 3D Printable Gelatin Methacryloyl (GelMA)-Dextran Aqueous Two-Phase System with Tunable Pores Structure and Size Enables Physiological Behavior of Embedded Cells In Vitro. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2208089. [PMID: 37403299 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202208089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
The restricted porosity of most hydrogels established for in vitro 3D tissue engineering applications limits embedded cells with regard to their physiological spreading, proliferation, and migration behavior. To overcome these confines, porous hydrogels derived from aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) are an interesting alternative. However, while developing hydrogels with trapped pores is widespread, the design of bicontinuous hydrogels is still challenging. Herein, an ATPS consisting of photo-crosslinkable gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) and dextran is presented. The phase behavior, monophasic or biphasic, is tuned via the pH and dextran concentration. This, in turn, allows the formation of hydrogels with three distinct microstructures: homogenous nonporous, regular disconnected-pores, and bicontinuous with interconnected-pores. The pore size of the latter two hydrogels can be tuned from ≈4 to 100 µm. Cytocompatibility of the generated ATPS hydrogels is confirmed by testing the viability of stromal and tumor cells. Their distribution and growth pattern are cell-type specific but are also strongly defined by the microstructure of the hydrogel. Finally, it is demonstrated that the unique porous structure is sustained when processing the bicontinuous system by inkjet and microextrusion techniques. The proposed ATPS hydrogels hold great potential for 3D tissue engineering applications due to their unique tunable interconnected porosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazi Ben Messaoud
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, European Union, 52074, Aachen, Germany
- DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, European Union, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sanja Aveic
- Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Mattis Wachendoerfer
- Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Horst Fischer
- Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, European Union, 52074, Aachen, Germany
- DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, European Union, 52074, Aachen, Germany
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4
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Douliez JP, Arlaut A, Beven L, Fameau AL, Saint-Jalmes A. One step generation of single-core double emulsions from polymer-osmose-induced aqueous phase separation in polar oil droplets. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:7562-7569. [PMID: 37751151 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00970j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Water-in-oil-in-water emulsions (W/O/W) are aqueous droplet(s) embedded within oil droplets dispersed in a continuous water phase. They are attracting interest due to their possible applications from cosmetic to food science since both hydrosoluble and liposoluble cargos can be encapsulated within. They are generally prepared using a one-step or a two-step method, phase inversion and also via spontaneous emulsification. Here, we describe a general and simple one-step method based on hydrophilic polymers dispersed in polar oils to generate osmose-induced diffusion of water into oil droplets, forming polymer-rich aqueous droplets inside the oil droplets. Polyethylene glycol, but also other hydrophilic polymers (branched polyethylene imine or polyvinyl pyrrolidone) were successfully dispersed in 1-octanol or other polar oils (oleic acid or tributyrin) to produce an O/W emulsion that spontaneously transformed into a W1/O/W2 emulsion, with the inner aqueous droplet (W1) only containing the hydrophilic polymer initially dispersed in oil. By combining single drop experiments, with macroscopic viscosity measurements, we demonstrated that the double emulsion resulted of water diffusion, which amplitude could be adjusted by the polymer concentration. The production of high internal phase emulsions was also achieved, together with a pH-induced transition from multiple to single core double emulsion. We expect this new method for producing double emulsions to find applications in domains of microencapsulation and materials chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul Douliez
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, UMR 1332, F-33140 Villenave dOrnon, France.
| | - Anais Arlaut
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, IPR (Institut de Physique de Rennes), UMR 6251, F-35000, Rennes, France.
| | - Laure Beven
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, UMR 1332, F-33140 Villenave dOrnon, France.
| | - Anne-Laure Fameau
- University Lille, CNRS, INRAE, Centrale Lille, UMET, 369 Rue Jules Guesde, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Arnaud Saint-Jalmes
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, IPR (Institut de Physique de Rennes), UMR 6251, F-35000, Rennes, France.
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5
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Toor R, Neujahr Copstein A, Trébuchet C, Goudeau B, Garrigue P, Lapeyre V, Perro A, Ravaine V. Responsive microgels-based colloidosomes constructed from all-aqueous pH-switchable coacervate droplets. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 630:66-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.10.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Wei X, Cai L, Chen H, Shang L, Zhao Y, Sun W. Noninvasive Multiplexed Analysis of Bladder Cancer-Derived Urine Exosomes via Janus Magnetic Microspheres. Anal Chem 2022; 94:18034-18041. [PMID: 36519619 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c04408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Bladder cancer greatly endangers human health, and its early diagnosis is of vital importance. Exosomes, which contain proteins and nucleic acids related to their source cells, are expected to be an emerging biomarker for bladder cancer detection. Here, we propose a novel system for multiplexed analysis of bladder cancer-derived urine exosomes based on Janus magnetic microspheres as barcoded microcarriers. The microcarriers are constructed by droplet-templated coassembly of colloidal silica nanoparticles and magnetic nanoparticles under a magnetic field. The microcarriers possess one hemisphere with structural color and the other hemisphere with magneto-responsiveness. Benefiting from the unique structure, these Janus microcarriers could serve as barcodes and could move controllably in a sample solution, thus realizing the multiplex detection of exosomes with high sensitivity. Notably, the present platform is noninvasive since a urine specimen, as an ideal source of bladder cancer-derived exosomes, is employed as the sample solution. This feature, together with the good sensitivity, specificity, low sample consumption, and easy operation, indicates the great potential of the platform for bladder cancer diagnosis in clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Wei
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou325027, China.,Laboratory Medicine Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing210011, China
| | - Lijun Cai
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing210096, China
| | - Hanxu Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing210096, China
| | - Luoran Shang
- Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, Zhongshan-Xuhui Hospital, and the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, the International Co-Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism (Ministry of Science and Technology), Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Yuanjin Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing210096, China
| | - Weijian Sun
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou325027, China
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7
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Cui H, Zhang Y, Shen Y, Zhu S, Tian J, Li Q, Shen Y, Liu S, Cao Y, Shum HC. Dynamic Assembly of Viscoelastic Networks by Aqueous Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation and Liquid-Solid Phase Separation (AqLL-LS PS 2 ). ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2205649. [PMID: 36222390 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202205649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Living cells comprise diverse subcellular structures, such as cytoskeletal networks, which can regulate essential cellular activities through dynamic assembly and synergistic interactions with biomolecular condensates. Despite extensive efforts, reproducing viscoelastic networks for modulating biomolecular condensates in synthetic systems remains challenging. Here, a new aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is proposed, which consists of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and dextran (DEX), to construct viscoelastic networks capable of being assembled and dissociated dynamically to regulate the self-assembly of condensates on-demand. Viscoelastic networks are generated using liquid-liquid phase-separated DEX droplets as templates and the following liquid-to-solid transition of the PNIPAM-rich phase. The resulting networks can dissolve liquid fused in sarcoma (FUS) condensates within 5 min. This work demonstrates rich phase-separation behaviors in a single ATPS through incorporating stimuli-responsive polymers. The concept can potentially be applied to other macromolecules through other stimuli to develop materials with rich phase behaviors and hierarchical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanqing Cui
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Yage Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong (SAR), China
| | - Yinan Shen
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Shipei Zhu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Jingxuan Tian
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong (SAR), China
| | - Qingchuan Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, National Engineering Research Center for Colloidal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Yi Shen
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Sihan Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Yang Cao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, 518000, China
- The Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong (SAR), China
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8
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Jeyhani M, Navi M, Chan KWY, Kieda J, Tsai SSH. Water-in-water droplet microfluidics: A design manual. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2022; 16:061503. [PMID: 36406338 PMCID: PMC9674389 DOI: 10.1063/5.0119316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics is utilized in a wide range of applications in biomedicine and biology. Applications include rapid biochemical analysis, materials generation, biochemical assays, and point-of-care medicine. The integration of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) into droplet microfluidic platforms has potential utility in oil-free biological and biomedical applications, namely, reducing cytotoxicity and preserving the native form and function of costly biomolecular reagents. In this review, we present a design manual for the chemist, biologist, and engineer to design experiments in the context of their biological applications using all-in-water droplet microfluidic systems. We describe the studies achievable using these systems and the corresponding fabrication and stabilization methods. With this information, readers may apply the fundamental principles and recent advancements in ATPS droplet microfluidics to their research. Finally, we propose a development roadmap of opportunities to utilize ATPS droplet microfluidics in applications that remain underexplored.
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9
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Daradmare S, Lee CS. Recent progress in the synthesis of all-aqueous two-phase droplets using microfluidic approaches. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2022; 219:112795. [PMID: 36049253 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2022.112795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
An aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is a system with liquid-liquid phase separation and shows great potential for the extraction, separation, purification, and enrichment of proteins, membranes, viruses, enzymes, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules because of its simplicity, biocompatibility, and wide applicability [1-4]. The clear aqueous-aqueous interface of ATPSs is highly advantageous for their implementation, therefore making ATPSs a green alternative approach to replace conventional emulsion systems, such as water-in-oil droplets. All aqueous emulsions (water-in-water, w-in-w) hold great promise in the biomedical field as glucose sensors [5] and promising carriers for the encapsulation and release of various biomolecules and nonbiomolecules [6-10]. However, the ultralow interfacial tension between the two phases is a hurdle in generating w-in-w emulsion droplets. In the past, bulk emulsification and electrospray techniques were employed for the generation of w-in-w emulsion droplets and the fabrication of microparticles and microcapsules in the later stage. Bulk emulsification is a simple and low-cost technique; however, it generates polydisperse w-in-w emulsion droplets. Another technique, electrospray, involves easy experimental setups that can generate monodisperse but nonspherical w-in-w emulsion droplets. In comparison, microfluidic platforms provide monodisperse w-in-w emulsion droplets with spherical shapes, deal with the small volumes of solutions and short reaction times and achieve portability and versatility in their design through rapid prototyping. Owing to several advantages, microfluidic approaches have recently been introduced. To date, several different strategies have been explored to generate w-in-w emulsions and multiple w-in-w emulsions and to fabricate microparticles and microcapsules using conventional microfluidic devices. Although a few review articles on ATPSs emulsions have been published in the past, to date, few reviews have exclusively focused on the evolution of microfluidic-based ATPS droplets. The present review begins with a brief discussion of the history of ATPSs and their fundamentals, which is followed by an account chronicling the integration of microfluidic devices with ATPSs to generate w-in-w emulsion droplets. Furthermore, the stabilization strategies of w-in-w emulsion droplets and microfluidic fabrication of microparticles and microcapsules for modern applications, such as biomolecule encapsulation and spheroid construction, are discussed in detail in this review. We believe that the present review will provide useful information to not only new entrants in the microfluidic community wanting to appreciate the findings of the field but also existing researchers wanting to keep themselves updated on progress in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sneha Daradmare
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Soo Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea.
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10
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Zhu S, Xie G, Cui H, Li Q, Forth J, Yuan S, Tian J, Pan Y, Guo W, Chai Y, Zhang Y, Yang Z, Yu RWH, Yu Y, Liu S, Chao Y, Shen Y, Zhao S, Russell TP, Shum HC. Aquabots. ACS NANO 2022; 16:13761-13770. [PMID: 35904791 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c00619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Soft robots, made from elastomers, easily bend and flex, but deformability constraints severely limit navigation through and within narrow, confined spaces. Using aqueous two-phase systems we print water-in-water constructs that, by aqueous phase-separation-induced self-assembly, produce ultrasoft liquid robots, termed aquabots, comprised of hierarchical structures that span in length scale from the nanoscopic to microsciopic, that are beyond the resolution limits of printing and overcome the deformability barrier. The exterior of the compartmentalized membranes is easily functionalized, for example, by binding enzymes, catalytic nanoparticles, and magnetic nanoparticles that impart sensitive magnetic responsiveness. These ultrasoft aquabots can adapt their shape for gripping and transporting objects and can be used for targeted photocatalysis, delivery, and release in confined and tortuous spaces. These biocompatible, multicompartmental, and multifunctional aquabots can be readily applied to medical micromanipulation, targeted cargo delivery, tissue engineering, and biomimetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shipei Zhu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Ganhua Xie
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley 94720, California, United States
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, P. R. China
| | - Huanqing Cui
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Qingchuan Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, National Engineering Research Center for Colloidal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, P. R. China
| | - Joe Forth
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley 94720, California, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Shuai Yuan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Jingxuan Tian
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Yi Pan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Wei Guo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Yu Chai
- Department of Physics, The City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Yage Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Zhenyu Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Ryan Wing Hei Yu
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, U.K
| | - Yafeng Yu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Sihan Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, P. R. China
| | - Youchuang Chao
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Yinan Shen
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge 02138, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Sai Zhao
- Department of Physics, The City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Thomas P Russell
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley 94720, California, United States
- Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003, Massachusetts, United States
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China
- WPI-Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
- Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong 999077, (SAR), Hong Kong, P. R. China
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11
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Anisotropic droplets with uniform internal structure prepared in batch-scale by combination of vortex mixing and phase separation. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2022.119616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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12
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Shek ACM, Kusumaatmaja H. Spontaneous phase separation of ternary fluid mixtures. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:5807-5814. [PMID: 35895077 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00413e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We computationally study the spontaneous phase separation of ternary fluid mixtures using the lattice Boltzmann method both when all the surface tensions are equal and when they have different values. To rationalise the phase diagram of possible phase separation mechanisms, previous theoretical works typically rely on analysing the sign of the eigenvalues resulting from a simple linear stability analysis, but we find this does not explain the observed simulation results. Here, we classify the possible separation pathways into four basic mechanisms, and develop a phenomenological model that captures the composition regimes where each mechanism is prevalent. We further highlight that the dominant mechanism in ternary phase separation involves enrichment and instability of the minor component at the fluid-fluid interface, which is absent in the case of binary fluid mixtures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin C M Shek
- Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
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13
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Wei D, Jin H, Ge L, Nie G, Guo R. Construction and regulation of aqueous-based Cerberus droplets by vortex mixing. J Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 627:194-204. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.06.178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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14
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Kim JW, Han SH, Choi YH, Hamonangan WM, Oh Y, Kim SH. Recent advances in the microfluidic production of functional microcapsules by multiple-emulsion templating. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:2259-2291. [PMID: 35608122 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00196a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Multiple-emulsion drops serve as versatile templates to design functional microcapsules due to their core-shell geometry and multiple compartments. Microfluidics has been used for the elaborate production of multiple-emulsion drops with a controlled composition, order, and dimensions, elevating the value of multiple-emulsion templates. Moreover, recent advances in the microfluidic control of the emulsification and parallelization of drop-making junctions significantly enhance the production throughput for practical use. Metastable multiple-emulsion drops are converted into stable microcapsules through the solidification of selected phases, among which solid shells are designed to function in a programmed manner. Functional microcapsules are used for the storage and release of active materials as drug carriers. Beyond their conventional uses, microcapsules can serve as microcompartments responsible for transmembrane communication, which is promising for their application in advanced microreactors, artificial cells, and microsensors. Given that post-processing provides additional control over the composition and construction of multiple-emulsion drops, they are excellent confining geometries to study the self-assembly of colloids and liquid crystals and produce miniaturized photonic devices. This review article presents the recent progress and current state of the art in the microfluidic production of multiple-emulsion drops, functionalization of solid shells, and applications of microcapsules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Won Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sang Hoon Han
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
| | - Ye Hun Choi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
| | - Wahyu Martumpal Hamonangan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
| | - Yoonjin Oh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
| | - Shin-Hyun Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
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15
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Yi S, Liu Q, Luo Z, He JJ, Ma HL, Li W, Wang D, Zhou C, Garciamendez CE, Hou L, Zhang J, Zhang YS. Micropore-Forming Gelatin Methacryloyl (GelMA) Bioink Toolbox 2.0: Designable Tunability and Adaptability for 3D Bioprinting Applications. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2106357. [PMID: 35607752 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202106357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
It is well-known that tissue engineering scaffolds that feature highly interconnected and size-adjustable micropores are oftentimes desired to promote cellular viability, motility, and functions. Unfortunately, the ability of precise control over the microporous structures within bioinks in a cytocompatible manner for applications in 3D bioprinting is generally lacking, until a method of micropore-forming bioink based on gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) was reported recently. This bioink took advantage of the unique aqueous two-phase emulsion (ATPE) system, where poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) droplets are utilized as the porogen. Considering the limitations associated with this very initial demonstration, this article has furthered the understanding of the micropore-forming GelMA bioinks by conducting a systematic investigation into the additional GelMA types (porcine and fish, different methacryloyl-modification degrees) and porogen types (PEO, poly(vinyl alcohol), and dextran), as well as the effects of the porogen concentrations and molecular weights on the properties of the GelMA-based ATPE bioink system. This article exemplifies not only the significantly wider range of micropore sizes achievable and better emulsion stability, but also the improved suitability for both extrusion and digital light processing bioprinting with favorable cellular responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sili Yi
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China
| | - Qiong Liu
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Zeyu Luo
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Jacqueline Jialu He
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Hui-Lin Ma
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Wanlu Li
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Di Wang
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Cuiping Zhou
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Carlos Ezio Garciamendez
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Linxi Hou
- College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China
| | - Jin Zhang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China
| | - Yu Shrike Zhang
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
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16
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Zhou C, Zhu P, Tian Y, Shi R, Wang L. Progress in all-aqueous droplets generation with microfluidics: Mechanisms of formation and stability improvements. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2022; 3:021301. [PMID: 38505416 PMCID: PMC10914135 DOI: 10.1063/5.0054201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
All-aqueous systems have attracted intensive attention as a promising platform for applications in cell separation, protein partitioning, and DNA extraction, due to their selective separation capability, rapid mass transfer, and good biocompatibility. Reliable generation of all-aqueous droplets with accurate control over their size and size distribution is vital to meet the increasingly growing demands in emulsion-based applications. However, the ultra-low interfacial tension and large effective interfacial thickness of the water-water interface pose challenges for the generation and stabilization of uniform all-aqueous droplets, respectively. Microfluidics technology has emerged as a versatile platform for the precision generation of all-aqueous droplets with improved stability. This review aims to systematize the controllable generation of all-aqueous droplets and summarize various strategies to improve their stability with microfluidics. We first provide a comprehensive review on the recent progress of all-aqueous droplets generation with microfluidics by detailing the properties of all-aqueous systems, mechanisms of droplet formation, active and passive methods for droplet generation, and the property of droplets. We then review the various strategies used to improve the stability of all-aqueous droplets and discuss the fabrication of biomaterials using all-aqueous droplets as liquid templates. We envision that this review will benefit the future development of all-aqueous droplet generation and its applications in developing biomaterials, which will be useful for researchers working in the field of all-aqueous systems and those who are new and interested in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pingan Zhu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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17
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Perro A, Coudon N, Chapel JP, Martin N, Béven L, Douliez JP. Building micro-capsules using water-in-water emulsion droplets as templates. J Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 613:681-696. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.01.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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18
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Zhao C, Chen G, Wang H, Zhao Y, Chai R. Bio-inspired intestinal scavenger from microfluidic electrospray for detoxifying lipopolysaccharide. Bioact Mater 2021; 6:1653-1662. [PMID: 33313445 PMCID: PMC7701841 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2020.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plays an important role in metabolic syndrome (MetS) and other gut-derived diseases, and detoxifying LPS is considered to be a fundamental approach to prevent and treat these diseases. Here, inspired by the feeding behaviour of scavenger, novel microfluidic microcapsules with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) encapsulation and the scavenger-like molecular sieve shell are presented for cleaning intestinal LPS. Benefiting from the precisely controlled of the pore size and microfluidic electrospray, the generated microcapsules were imparted with porous molecular-sieve shells and ALP encapsulated active cores. These microcapsules could continuously work as an intestinal scavenger after colonized in intestine. It has been demonstrated that the microcapsules could englobe LPS while inhibit the permeation of digestive enzyme, and this ability contributes to promising ALP's activity, protecting cells at the presence of LPS and reducing inflammation. In addition, this scavenger inspired microcapsule could effectively decrease the LPS in organs, reduce inflammation and regulating fat metabolism in vivo. These features make the ALP encapsulated microcapsules an ideal candidate for treating MetS and other LPS related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Zhao
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Institute of Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210002, China
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
- Department of Endocrinology, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Center for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Diseases of Shenzhen University, Health Science Center of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518035, PR China
| | - Guopu Chen
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Institute of Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210002, China
| | - Huan Wang
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Institute of Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210002, China
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
- Department of Endocrinology, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Center for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Diseases of Shenzhen University, Health Science Center of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518035, PR China
| | - Yuanjin Zhao
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Institute of Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210002, China
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
- Department of Endocrinology, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Center for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Diseases of Shenzhen University, Health Science Center of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518035, PR China
| | - Renjie Chai
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Institute of Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210002, China
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
- Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neural Regeneration and Repair, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
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19
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Guo W, Kinghorn AB, Zhang Y, Li Q, Poonam AD, Tanner JA, Shum HC. Non-associative phase separation in an evaporating droplet as a model for prebiotic compartmentalization. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3194. [PMID: 34045455 PMCID: PMC8160217 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23410-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The synthetic pathways of life’s building blocks are envisaged to be through a series of complex prebiotic reactions and processes. However, the strategy to compartmentalize and concentrate biopolymers under prebiotic conditions remains elusive. Liquid-liquid phase separation is a mechanism by which membraneless organelles form inside cells, and has been hypothesized as a potential mechanism for prebiotic compartmentalization. Associative phase separation of oppositely charged species has been shown to partition RNA, but the strongly negative charge exhibited by RNA suggests that RNA-polycation interactions could inhibit RNA folding and its functioning inside the coacervates. Here, we present a prebiotically plausible pathway for non-associative phase separation within an evaporating all-aqueous sessile droplet. We quantitatively investigate the kinetic pathway of phase separation triggered by the non-uniform evaporation rate, together with the Marangoni flow-driven hydrodynamics inside the sessile droplet. With the ability to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation, the drying droplets provide a robust mechanism for formation of prebiotic membraneless compartments, as demonstrated by localization and storage of nucleic acids, in vitro transcription, as well as a three-fold enhancement of ribozyme activity. The compartmentalization mechanism illustrated in this model system is feasible on wet organophilic silica-rich surfaces during early molecular evolution. Prebiotic compartmentalization could prove essential for the evolution of life. Guo et al. show that liquid-liquid separation in an aqueous two-phase system driven by evaporation may already suffice to facilitate chemical processes required for the RNA world hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Guo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China
| | - Andrew B Kinghorn
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China
| | - Yage Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China
| | - Qingchuan Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China.,School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, National Engineering Research Center for Colloidal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Aditi Dey Poonam
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China
| | - Julian A Tanner
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China. .,Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China.
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China. .,Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong (SAR), Hong Kong, China.
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20
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Keller S, Teora SP, Boujemaa M, Wilson DA. Exploring New Horizons in Liquid Compartmentalization via Microfluidics. Biomacromolecules 2021; 22:1759-1769. [PMID: 33835788 PMCID: PMC8154250 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Spatial organization of cellular processes is crucial to efficiently regulate life's essential reactions. Nature does this by compartmentalization, either using membranes, such as the cell and nuclear membrane, or by liquid-like droplets formed by aqueous liquid-liquid phase separation. Aqueous liquid-liquid phase separation can be divided in two different phenomena, associative and segregative phase separation, of which both are studied for their membraneless compartmentalization abilities. For centuries, segregative phase separation has been used for the extraction and purification of biomolecules. With the emergence of microfluidic techniques, further exciting possibilities were explored because of their ability to fine-tune phase separation within emulsions of various compositions and morphologies and achieve one of the simplest forms of compartmentalization. Lately, interest in aqueous liquid-liquid phase separation has been revived due to the discovery of membraneless phases within the cell. In this Perspective we focus on segregative aqueous phase separation, discuss the theory of this interesting phenomenon, and give an overview of the evolution of aqueous phase separation in microfluidics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shauni Keller
- Institute of Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Serena P Teora
- Institute of Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Moussa Boujemaa
- Institute of Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniela A Wilson
- Institute of Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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21
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Roy P, Liu S, Dutcher CS. Droplet Interfacial Tensions and Phase Transitions Measured in Microfluidic Channels. Annu Rev Phys Chem 2021; 72:73-97. [PMID: 33607917 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physchem-090419-105522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Measurements of droplet phase and interfacial tension (IFT) are important in the fields of atmospheric aerosols and emulsion science. Bulk macroscale property measurements with similar constituents cannot capture the effect of microscopic length scales and highly curved surfaces on the transport characteristics and heterogeneous chemistry typical in these applications. Instead, microscale droplet measurements ensure properties are measured at the relevant length scale. With recent advances in microfluidics, customized multiphase fluid flows can be created in channels for the manipulation and observation of microscale droplets in an enclosed setting without the need for large and expensive control systems. In this review, we discuss the applications of different physical principles at the microscale and corresponding microfluidic approaches for the measurement of droplet phase state, viscosity, and IFT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyatanu Roy
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA;
| | - Shihao Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA;
| | - Cari S Dutcher
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA; .,Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
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22
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Seo H, Nam C, Kim E, Son J, Lee H. Aqueous Two-Phase System (ATPS)-Based Polymersomes for Particle Isolation and Separation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:55467-55475. [PMID: 33237722 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c16968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) have been widely used in the separation, purification, and enrichment of biomolecules for their excellent biocompatibility. While ultracentrifugation and microfluidic devices have been combined with ATPS to facilitate the separation of biomolecules and achieve high recovery yields, they often lack the ability to effectively isolate and separate biomolecules in low concentrations. In this work, we present a strategy that leverages the preferential partitioning of biomolecules in ATPS droplets to efficiently separate model extracellular vesicle (EV) particles. We demonstrate that the additional oil phase between the inner ATPS droplets and the aqueous continuous phase in triple emulsion droplets resolves the size controllability and instability issues of ATPS droplets, enabling the production of highly monodisperse ATPS-based polymersomes with enhanced stability for effective isolation of ATPS droplets from the surrounding environment. Furthermore, we achieve separation of model EV particles in a single dextran (DEX)-rich droplet by the massive production of ATPS-based polymersomes and osmotic-pressure-induced rupture of the selected polymersome in a hypertonic solution composed of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanjin Seo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 37673, Korea
| | - Changwoo Nam
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 37673, Korea
- Organic Materials and Fiber Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, 567 Baekje-daero, Deogjin-dong, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do 54896, Korea
| | - Eunseo Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 37673, Korea
| | - Juhyun Son
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 37673, Korea
| | - Hyomin Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77 Cheongam-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 37673, Korea
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23
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Liquid metal-integrated ultra-elastic conductive microfibers from microfluidics for wearable electronics. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2020; 65:1752-1759. [PMID: 36659248 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Liquid metal (LM) has shown potential values in different areas. Attempts to implement LM are tending to develop new functions and make it versatile to improve its performance for practical applications. Here, we present an unprecedented LM-integrated ultra-elastic microfiber with distinctive features for wearable electronics. The microfiber with a polyurethane shell and an LM core was continuously generated by using a sequenced microfluidic spinning and injection method. Due to the precise fluid manipulation of microfluidics, the resultant microfiber could be tailored with tunable morphologies and responsive conductivities. We have demonstrated that the microfiber could act as dynamic force sensor and motion indicator when it was embedded into elastic films. In addition, the values of the LM-integrated ultra-elastic microfiber on energy conversions such as electro-magnetic or electro-thermal conversions have also been realized. These features indicate that LM-integrated microfiber will open up new frontiers in LM-integrated materials and the wearable electronics field.
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24
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Zhu S, Forth J, Xie G, Chao Y, Tian J, Russell TP, Shum HC. Rapid Multilevel Compartmentalization of Stable All-Aqueous Blastosomes by Interfacial Aqueous-Phase Separation. ACS NANO 2020; 14:11215-11224. [PMID: 32515582 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c02923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Producing artificial multicellular structures to process multistep cascade reactions and mimic the fundamental aspects of living systems is an outstanding challenge. Highly biocompatible, artificial systems consisting of all-aqueous, compartmentalized multicellular systems have yet to be realized. Here, a rapid multilevel compartmentalization of an all-aqueous system where a 3D sheet of subcolloidosomes encloses a mother colloidosome by interfacial phase separation is demonstrated. These spatially organized multicellular structures are termed "blastosomes" since they are similar to blastula in appearance. The barrier to nanoparticle assembly at the water-water interface is overcome using oppositely charged polyelectrolytes that form a coacervate-nanoparticle-composite network. The conditions required to trigger interfacial phase separation and form blastosomes are quantified in a mapped state diagram. We show a versatile model for constructing artificial multicellular spheroids in all-aqueous systems. The rapid interfacial assembly of charged particles and polyelectrolytes can lock in nonequilibrium shapes of water, which also enables top-down technologies, such as 3D printing and microfluidics, to program flexible compartmentalized structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shipei Zhu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Joe Forth
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, California 94720, United States
| | - Ganhua Xie
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, California 94720, United States
| | - Youchuang Chao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Jingxuan Tian
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Thomas P Russell
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, California 94720, United States
- Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governors Drive, Conte Center for Polymer Research, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
- WPI-Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute for Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen 518000, China
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25
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Nan L, Cao Y, Yuan S, Shum HC. Oil-mediated high-throughput generation and sorting of water-in-water droplets. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2020; 6:70. [PMID: 34567680 PMCID: PMC8433215 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-020-0180-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) droplets have demonstrated superior compatibility over conventional water-in-oil droplets for various biological assays. However, the ultralow interfacial tension hampers efficient and stable droplet generation, limiting further development and more extensive use of such approaches. Here, we present a simple strategy to employ oil as a transient medium for ATPS droplet generation. Two methods based on passive flow focusing and active pico-injection are demonstrated to generate water-water-oil double emulsions, achieving a high generation frequency of ~2.4 kHz. Through evaporation of the oil to break the double emulsions, the aqueous core can be released to form uniform-sized water-in-water droplets. Moreover, this technique can be used to fabricate aqueous microgels, and the introduction of the oil medium enables integration of droplet sorting to produce single-cell-laden hydrogels with a harvest rate of over 90%. We believe that the demonstrated high-throughput generation and sorting of ATPS droplets represent an important tool to advance droplet-based tissue engineering and single-cell analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lang Nan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yang Cao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shuai Yuan
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
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Chao Y, Hung LT, Feng J, Yuan H, Pan Y, Guo W, Zhang Y, Shum HC. Flower-like droplets obtained by self-emulsification of a phase-separating (SEPS) aqueous film. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:6050-6055. [PMID: 32490476 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00660b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Self-emulsification, referring to the spontaneous formation of droplets of one phase in another immiscible phase, is attracting growing interest because of its simplicity in creating droplets. Existing self-emulsification methods usually rely on phase inversion, temperature cycling, and solvent evaporation. However, achieving spatiotemporal control over the morphology of self-emulsified droplets remains challenging. In this work, a conceptually new approach of creating both simple and complex droplets by self-emulsification of a phase-separating (SEPS) aqueous film, is reported. The aqueous film is formed by depositing a surfactant-laden aqueous droplet onto an aqueous surface, and the fragmentation of the film into droplets is triggered by a wetting transition. Smaller and more uniform droplets can be achieved by introducing liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Moreover, properly modulating quadruple LLPS and film fragmentation enables the creation of highly multicellular droplets such as flower-like droplets stabilized by the interfacial self-assembly of nanoparticles. This work provides a novel strategy to design aqueous droplets by LLPS, and it will inspire a wide range of applications such as membraneless organelle synthesis, cell mimics and delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youchuang Chao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Lap Tak Hung
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Jie Feng
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Hao Yuan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China. and Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi Pan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Wei Guo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Yage Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
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27
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Chen X, Shen R, Liu S, Xiao X, Yan J, Zhang Y, Jiang Z, Nie B, Liu J. The sensitive detection of single-cell secreted lactic acid for glycolytic inhibitor screening with a microdroplet biosensor. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2020; 12:3250-3259. [PMID: 32930188 DOI: 10.1039/d0ay00633e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Lactic acid (LA) plays an important role in the tumor metabolism and malignant progression of various cancers. Herein, we have developed a one-step, wash-free microfluidic approach with droplet biosensors for the sensitive detection of LA secreted by a single tumor cell. Our assay integrates the enzyme-assisted chemical conversion of LA in small-volume (4.2 nL) droplets for fluorescence signal readout. The microdroplet assay achieved a limit of detection of 1.02 μM and was more sensitive than the commercial ELISA kit by nearly two orders of magnitude. A good specificity has been demonstrated for this assay by testing various ions and biomolecules from the culture medium. This droplet assay allows us to acquire the profiles of the lactic acid secretion of tumor cells under the influence of glycolytic inhibitors at the single-cell level. It offers a useful research tool to study the cell-to-cell differences of LA secretion and glycolytic inhibitor screening for cancer research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuyue Chen
- Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123, China.
| | - Rui Shen
- Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123, China.
| | - Sidi Liu
- Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123, China.
| | - Xiang Xiao
- Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123, China.
| | - Jun Yan
- Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123, China.
| | - Yiqiu Zhang
- Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123, China.
| | - Zhongyun Jiang
- Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123, China.
| | - Baoqing Nie
- School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215006, China
| | - Jian Liu
- Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123, China.
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28
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Yu Y, Guo J, Wang Y, Shao C, Wang Y, Zhao Y. Bioinspired Helical Micromotors as Dynamic Cell Microcarriers. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:16097-16103. [PMID: 32181642 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c01264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Micromotors have exhibited great potential in multidisciplinary nanotechnology, environmental science, and especially biomedical engineering due to their advantages of controllable motion, long lifetime, and high biocompatibility. Marvelous efforts focusing on endowing micromotors with novel characteristics and functionalities to promote their applications in biomedical engineering have been taken in recent years. Here, inspired by the flagellar motion of Escherichia coli, we present helical micromotors as dynamic cell microcarriers using simple microfluidic spinning technology. The morphologies of micromotors can be easily tailored because of the highly controllable and feasible fabrication process including microfluidic generation and manual dicing. Benefiting from the biocompatibility of the materials, the resultant helical micromotors could be ideal cell microcarriers that are suitable for cell seeding and further cultivation; the magnetic nanoparticle encapsulation imparts the helical micromotors with kinetic characteristics in response to mobile magnetic fields. Thus, the helical micromotors could be applied as dynamic cell culture blocks and further assembled to complex geometrical structures. The constructed structures out of cell-seeded micromotors could find practical potential in biomedical applications as the stack-shaped assembly embedded in the hydrogel may be used for tissue repairing and the tube-shaped assembly due to its resemblance to vascular structures in the microchannel for organ-on-a-chip study or blood vessel regeneration. These features manifest the possibility to broaden the biomedical application scope for micromotors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunru Yu
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Nanjing 210008, China
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Jiahui Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Yuetong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Changmin Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Yuanjin Zhao
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Nanjing 210008, China
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
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Ma Q, Song Y, Sun W, Cao J, Yuan H, Wang X, Sun Y, Shum HC. Cell-Inspired All-Aqueous Microfluidics: From Intracellular Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation toward Advanced Biomaterials. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2020; 7:1903359. [PMID: 32274317 PMCID: PMC7141073 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201903359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Living cells have evolved over billions of years to develop structural and functional complexity with numerous intracellular compartments that are formed due to liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Discovery of the amazing and vital roles of cells in life has sparked tremendous efforts to investigate and replicate the intracellular LLPS. Among them, all-aqueous emulsions are a minimalistic liquid model that recapitulates the structural and functional features of membraneless organelles and protocells. Here, an emerging all-aqueous microfluidic technology derived from micrometer-scaled manipulation of LLPS is presented; the technology enables the state-of-art design of advanced biomaterials with exquisite structural proficiency and diversified biological functions. Moreover, a variety of emerging biomedical applications, including encapsulation and delivery of bioactive gradients, fabrication of artificial membraneless organelles, as well as printing and assembly of predesigned cell patterns and living tissues, are inspired by their cellular counterparts. Finally, the challenges and perspectives for further advancing the cell-inspired all-aqueous microfluidics toward a more powerful and versatile platform are discussed, particularly regarding new opportunities in multidisciplinary fundamental research and biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingming Ma
- Department of PharmaceuticsSchool of PharmacyQingdao UniversityQingdao266021China
| | - Yang Song
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical EngineeringGeorgia Institute of Technology & Emory School of MedicineAtlantaGA30332USA
| | - Wentao Sun
- Center for Basic Medical ResearchTEDA International Cardiovascular HospitalChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeTianjin300457China
| | - Jie Cao
- Department of PharmaceuticsSchool of PharmacyQingdao UniversityQingdao266021China
| | - Hao Yuan
- Institute of Applied MechanicsNational Taiwan UniversityTaipei10617Taiwan
| | - Xinyu Wang
- Institute of Thermal Science and TechnologyShandong UniversityJinan250061China
| | - Yong Sun
- Department of PharmaceuticsSchool of PharmacyQingdao UniversityQingdao266021China
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Hong KongPokfulam RoadHong Kong
- HKU‐Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU‐SIRI)Shenzhen518000China
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30
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Wei X, Bian F, Cai X, Wang Y, Cai L, Yang J, Zhu Y, Zhao Y. Multiplexed Detection Strategy for Bladder Cancer MicroRNAs Based on Photonic Crystal Barcodes. Anal Chem 2020; 92:6121-6127. [PMID: 32227890 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c00630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Wei
- Laboratory Medicine Center, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210011, China
| | - Feika Bian
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Cai
- Laboratory Medicine Center, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210011, China
| | - Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Lijun Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Jian Yang
- Department of Urology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210011, China
| | - Yefei Zhu
- Laboratory Medicine Center, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210011, China
| | - Yuanjin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
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31
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CO 2/N 2-responsive oil-in-water emulsions using a novel switchable surfactant. J Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 571:134-141. [PMID: 32199266 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.03.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Recently, switchable or stimuli-responsive emulsions have attracted much research interest in many industrial fields. In this work, a novel CO2/N2-responsive surfactant was designed and developed to facilitate the formation of switchable oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions with fast switching characteristics between a stable emulsion and separate phases upon alternatively bubbling CO2 and N2. EXPERIMENTS The novel CO2/N2-responsive surfactant was facilely prepared by mixing an anionic fatty acid (oleic acid) and a cationic amine (1,3-Bis (aminopropyl) tetramethyldisiloxane) at a 1:1 molecular ratio, which was assembled based on electrostatic interactions. The structure and properties of the novel CO2/N2-responsive switchable surfactant were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, and interfacial tensions. FINDINGS The developed surfactant shows an excellent interfacial activity at the oil/water interface, which can significantly reduce the dosage of the switchable surfactant compared with previous CO2/N2-responsive surfactants. The dynamic interfacial tension of n-decane and aqueous phase decreased from 45 mN m-1 to 5 mN m-1 within 100 s with the addition of 0.2 mM surfactant. In this work, a low concentration of the novel switchable surfactant (e.g., 20.0 mM) can realize reversible emulsification and demulsification in an emulsion system as compared with the high dosage (e.g., ~150 mM) in previous reports, which will bring huge economic benefits in industrial applications in the future. Moreover, this work expands the family of ion-pair surfactants to small amino-functionalized molecules beyond Jeffamine D-230, which promotes the development of simple and switchable ion-pair surfactant. It is found that the O/W emulsions stabilized by the switchable surfactant show excellent stability, which can be stored for over 60 days at room temperature without any obvious change. Interestingly, the stable O/W emulsion is completely demulsified upon bubbling CO2 for 30 s and can be easily re-emulsified to the initial state after purging N2 at 60 °C within 10 min, which demonstrates a rapid and highly efficient switching behavior. The reversible emulsification and demulsification process is ascribed to the reversible assembly and disassembly of the switchable surfactant, which is induced by the removal and purge of CO2.
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32
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Feng K, Gao N, Zhang W, Zhou K, Dong H, Wang P, Tian L, He G, Li G. Creation of Nonspherical Microparticles through Osmosis-Driven Arrested Coalescence of Microfluidic Emulsions. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2020; 16:e1903884. [PMID: 31512376 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201903884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Droplet-based microfluidics enable the production of emulsions and microparticles with spherical shapes, but the high-throughput fabrication of nonspherical emulsions and microparticles still remains challenging because interfacial tension plays a dominant role during preparation. Herein, ionic liquids (ILs) containing salts, which possess sufficient osmotic pressure to realize water transport and phase separation, are introduced as inner cores of oil-in-oil-in-water double emulsions and it is shown that nonspherical emulsions can be constructed by osmosis-driven arrested coalescence of inner cores. Subsequently, ultraviolet polymerization of the nonspherical emulsions leads to nonspherical microparticles. By tailoring the number, composition, and size of inner cores as well as coalescence time, a variety of nonspherical shapes such as dumbbell, rod, spindle, snowman, tumbler, three-pointed star, triangle, and scalene triangle are created. Importantly, benefitting from excellent solvency of ILs, this system can serve as a general platform to produce nonspherical microparticles made from different materials. Moreover, by controlling the osmotic pressure, programmed coalescence of inner cores in double emulsions is realizable, which indicates the potential to build microreactors. Thus, a simple and high-throughput strategy to create nonspherical microparticles with arrested coalescence shapes is developed for the first time and can be further used to construct novel materials and microreactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Feng
- Department of Chemistry, Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Ning Gao
- Department of Chemistry, Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Wanlin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Kang Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Hao Dong
- Department of Chemistry, Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Li Tian
- Department of Chemistry, Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Guokang He
- Department of Chemistry, Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Guangtao Li
- Department of Chemistry, Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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33
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Ai Y, Xie R, Xiong J, Liang Q. Microfluidics for Biosynthesizing: from Droplets and Vesicles to Artificial Cells. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2020; 16:e1903940. [PMID: 31603270 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201903940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Fabrication of artificial biomimetic materials has attracted abundant attention. As one of the subcategories of biomimetic materials, artificial cells are highly significant for multiple disciplines and their synthesis has been intensively pursued. In order to manufacture robust "alive" artificial cells with high throughput, easy operation, and precise control, flexible microfluidic techniques are widely utilized. Herein, recent advances in microfluidic-based methods for the synthesis of droplets, vesicles, and artificial cells are summarized. First, the advances of droplet fabrication and manipulation on the T-junction, flow-focusing, and coflowing microfluidic devices are discussed. Then, the formation of unicompartmental and multicompartmental vesicles based on microfluidics are summarized. Furthermore, the engineering of droplet-based and vesicle-based artificial cells by microfluidics is also reviewed. Moreover, the artificial cells applied for imitating cell behavior and acting as bioreactors for synthetic biology are highlighted. Finally, the current challenges and future trends in microfluidic-based artificial cells are discussed. This review should be helpful for researchers in the fields of microfluidics, biomaterial fabrication, and synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjian Ai
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Beijing Key Lab of Microanalytical Methods & Instrumentation, Department of Chemistry, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Ruoxiao Xie
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Beijing Key Lab of Microanalytical Methods & Instrumentation, Department of Chemistry, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Jialiang Xiong
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Beijing Key Lab of Microanalytical Methods & Instrumentation, Department of Chemistry, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Qionglin Liang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Beijing Key Lab of Microanalytical Methods & Instrumentation, Department of Chemistry, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
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34
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Jeyhani M, Thevakumaran R, Abbasi N, Hwang DK, Tsai SSH. Microfluidic Generation of All-Aqueous Double and Triple Emulsions. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2020; 16:e1906565. [PMID: 31985166 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201906565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Higher order emulsions are used in a variety of different applications in biomedicine, biological studies, cosmetics, and the food industry. Conventional droplet generation platforms for making higher order emulsions use organic solvents as the continuous phase, which is not biocompatible and as a result, further washing steps are required to remove the toxic continuous phase. Recently, droplet generation based on aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) has emerged in the field of droplet microfluidics due to their intrinsic biocompatibility. Here, a platform to generate all-aqueous double and triple emulsions by introducing pressure-driven flows inside a microfluidic hybrid device is presented. This system uses a conventional microfluidic flow-focusing geometry coupled with a coaxial microneedle and a glass capillary embedded in flow-focusing junctions. The configuration of the hybrid device enables the focusing of two coaxial two-phase streams, which helps to avoid commonly observed channel-wetting problems. It is shown that this approach achieves the fabrication of higher-order emulsions in a poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based microfluidic device, and controls the structure of the all-aqueous emulsions. This hybrid microfluidic approach allows for facile higher-order biocompatible emulsion formation, and it is anticipated that this platform will find utility for generating biocompatible materials for various biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morteza Jeyhani
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST)-a Partnership between Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Risavarshni Thevakumaran
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST)-a Partnership between Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
- Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Niki Abbasi
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST)-a Partnership between Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Dae Kun Hwang
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST)-a Partnership between Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Scott S H Tsai
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1W8, Canada
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST)-a Partnership between Ryerson University and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
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35
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Chao Y, Shum HC. Emerging aqueous two-phase systems: from fundamentals of interfaces to biomedical applications. Chem Soc Rev 2020; 49:114-142. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cs00466a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
This review summarizes recent advances of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs), particularly their interfaces, with a focus on biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youchuang Chao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- The University of Hong Kong
- China
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- The University of Hong Kong
- China
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36
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Chi J, Shao C, Zhang Y, Ni D, Kong T, Zhao Y. Magnetically responsive colloidal crystals with angle-independent gradient structural colors in microfluidic droplet arrays. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:12898-12904. [PMID: 31250872 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr04011k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Magnetically responsive colloidal crystal films with gradient structural colors have a significant value in optical applications via controllable external stimuli. Herein, we propose a practical method for fabricating colloidal crystal hydrogel films with continuous gradient structural colors by using superparamagnetic colloidal nanoparticles. The colloidal nanoparticles could self-assemble into chain-like non-close-packed arrays to present structural colors under the stimuli of external magnetic fields. And structural colors with gradient changes could be achieved when subjected to a spatial magnetic field with a remarkable variation in field strength and direction. By integrating with a microfluidic droplet array template with spherical symmetry morphology, we have demonstrated convenient fabrication of free-standing colloidal crystal films with angle-independent gradient structural colors, which could be utilized for the fabrication of optical devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Chi
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China. and State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
| | - Changmin Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
| | - Yalan Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Dong Ni
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
| | - Tiantian Kong
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
| | - Yuanjin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
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37
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Lin P, Wei Z, Yan Q, Xie J, Fan Y, Wu M, Chen Y, Cheng Z. Capillary-Based Microfluidic Fabrication of Liquid Metal Microspheres toward Functional Microelectrodes and Photothermal Medium. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:25295-25305. [PMID: 31260237 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b03007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Liquid metals (LMs) possess tremendous potential applications in flexible electronic devices, heat flow management, and smart actuators. Splitting the bulk LMs into microspheres is of great significance to fabricate free-standing and microscale LM-based functional materials and devices. However, it is difficult to disperse the bulk LMs into microspheres because of their large surface tension and high density. In this work, the capillary-based microfluidic chip is employed to continuously and automatically generate LM microspheres in a large scale. The capillary-based microfluidic fabrication is universally applicable in ionic aqueous solution, hydrophobic solution, and the polymeric aqueous solution. The precise size control of LM microspheres can be easily realized by the co-flowing configuration in the microchannels. The coefficient of size variation of monodispersed LM microspheres can be controlled to as low as 0.47%. The free-standing LM microspheres can be used as functional microelectrodes within a wide temperature range from -19.8 to 20 °C and to fabricate tunable integrated circuits with different output powers. Most importantly, the LM microspheres exhibit photothermal property, which is used to make the optical sensor with linear response and to conduct the solar energy harvesting. The capillary-based microfluidic fabrication of LM microspheres provides a facile and templated methodology for processing bulk LMs into microscale units. The LM microspheres with excellent electrical conductivity and photothermal property hold great promise for the development of miniature soft electronics, light-driven actuators, and energy conversion medium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengcheng Lin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy , Guangdong University of Technology , Guangzhou 510006 , China
| | - Zhan Wei
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy , Guangdong University of Technology , Guangzhou 510006 , China
| | - Qi Yan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy , Guangdong University of Technology , Guangzhou 510006 , China
| | - Jiajin Xie
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy , Guangdong University of Technology , Guangzhou 510006 , China
| | - Yufeng Fan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy , Guangdong University of Technology , Guangzhou 510006 , China
| | - Minghui Wu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy , Guangdong University of Technology , Guangzhou 510006 , China
| | - Ying Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy , Guangdong University of Technology , Guangzhou 510006 , China
| | - Zhengdong Cheng
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering , Texas A&M University , College Station , Texas 77843-3122 , United States
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Bian F, Sun L, Cai L, Wang Y, Zhao Y. Quantum dots from microfluidics for nanomedical application. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-NANOMEDICINE AND NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY 2019; 11:e1567. [PMID: 31257723 DOI: 10.1002/wnan.1567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Nanomedicine, with its advantages of rapid diagnosis, high sensitivity and high accuracy, has aroused extensive interest of researchers, as the cornerstone of nanomedicine, nanomaterials achieve extra attention and rapid development. Among nanomaterials, quantum dots stand out due to their long fluorescence lifetime and excellent antiphotobleaching performance. At present, quantum dots have been applied to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and various strategies have been presented to fabricate quantum dots. Microfluidic is one promising strategy since microfluidic device can provide an effective platform for the diagnosis of trace disease markers. In this paper, research progress in the microfluidic synthesis of quantum dots and quantum dot-based nanomedical application is discussed. The classification of quantum dots is firstly introduced, and the researches on quantum dots synthesis based on microfluidic is then mainly described, including the sort, design, preparation of microfluidic synthesis device and its application in synthesis. Nanomedical applications of the quantum dots is especially described and emphasized. The prospects for future development of quantum dots from microfluidic for nanomedical application are finally presented. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > in vitro Nanoparticle-Based Sensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feika Bian
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lingyu Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lijun Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuanjin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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Chan YK, Yan WH, Hung LT, Chao Y, Wu J, Shum HC. All-Aqueous Thin-Film-Flow-Induced Cell-Based Monolayers. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:22869-22877. [PMID: 31145590 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b06382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cells in vitro usually require a solid scaffold to attach and form two-dimensional monolayer structures. To obtain a substrate-free cell monolayer, long culture time and specific detaching procedures are required. In this study, a thin-film-flow-induced strategy is reported to overcome the challenges of assembling in vitro scaffold-free monolayered cell aggregates. The assembly is driven by a dewetting-like thin-film withdrawal along all-aqueous interfaces characterized by a low interfacial tension. The withdrawal process drives the cells adsorbed on the liquid film to aggregate and assemble into an organized and compact monolayer. This strategy is not limited to biological cells but also colloidal particles, as demonstrated by the assembly of hybrid cell-particle monolayers. The versatility offered by this approach suggests new opportunities in understanding early tissue formation and functionalizing cell monolayer aggregates by colloidal particles with customized functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yau Kei Chan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam Road , Hong Kong , China
| | - Wing Huen Yan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam Road , Hong Kong , China
| | - Lap Tak Hung
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam Road , Hong Kong , China
| | - Youchuang Chao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam Road , Hong Kong , China
| | - Jing Wu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam Road , Hong Kong , China
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam Road , Hong Kong , China
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