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Li Z, Guo C, Jian Z. Compound Droplet Generation by a Hybrid Microfluidic Device. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024. [PMID: 38976874 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c00990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Microfluidic technology based on a compound droplet plays an increasingly significant role in different disciplines, such as genetic detection, drug transportation, and cell culture. Low-cost, stable, and rapid methods to produce compound droplets are more and more in demand. In this paper, a hybrid 3D-printed microfluidic device was designed to realize efficient fabrication of multicore compound droplets, where a first oil phase (O1) is cut by a water phase (W) to form pure O1 droplets, and then the W phase containing O1 droplets is cut by a second oil phase (O2) to generate multicore compound droplets. A series of experiments were conducted to determine the influence of the flow rate and viscosity on the formation dynamics of compound droplets. It is found that the number of inner cores is mainly affected by the W and O2 phases, and a W phase with higher viscosity and a higher flow rate is more likely to produce compound droplets with more inner cores. This work provides new insights into the formation dynamics of compound droplets and can contribute to the optimization of emulsion production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Li
- State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, Department of Engineering Mechanics, International Center for Applied Mechanics, School of Aerospace Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Changxin Guo
- State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, Department of Engineering Mechanics, International Center for Applied Mechanics, School of Aerospace Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Zhen Jian
- State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, Department of Engineering Mechanics, International Center for Applied Mechanics, School of Aerospace Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
- Research Institute of Xi'an Jiaotong University Zhejiang, Hangzhou 311215, China
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Erkamp NA, Sneideris T, Ausserwöger H, Qian D, Qamar S, Nixon-Abell J, St George-Hyslop P, Schmit JD, Weitz DA, Knowles TPJ. Spatially non-uniform condensates emerge from dynamically arrested phase separation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:684. [PMID: 36755024 PMCID: PMC9908939 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36059-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The formation of biomolecular condensates through phase separation from proteins and nucleic acids is emerging as a spatial organisational principle used broadly by living cells. Many such biomolecular condensates are not, however, homogeneous fluids, but possess an internal structure consisting of distinct sub-compartments with different compositions. Notably, condensates can contain compartments that are depleted in the biopolymers that make up the condensate. Here, we show that such double-emulsion condensates emerge via dynamically arrested phase transitions. The combination of a change in composition coupled with a slow response to this change can lead to the nucleation of biopolymer-poor droplets within the polymer-rich condensate phase. Our findings demonstrate that condensates with a complex internal architecture can arise from kinetic, rather than purely thermodynamic driving forces, and provide more generally an avenue to understand and control the internal structure of condensates in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia A Erkamp
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Tomas Sneideris
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Hannes Ausserwöger
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Daoyuan Qian
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Seema Qamar
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Jonathon Nixon-Abell
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Peter St George-Hyslop
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
- Department of Medicine (Division of Neurology), University of Toronto and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H2, Canada
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University, 630 West 168th St, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Jeremy D Schmit
- Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - David A Weitz
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, 17 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Ave, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK.
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Xu Y, Zhu H, Denduluri A, Ou Y, Erkamp NA, Qi R, Shen Y, Knowles TPJ. Recent Advances in Microgels: From Biomolecules to Functionality. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2200180. [PMID: 35790106 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202200180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The emerging applications of hydrogel materials at different length scales, in areas ranging from sustainability to health, have driven the progress in the design and manufacturing of microgels. Microgels can provide miniaturized, monodisperse, and regulatable compartments, which can be spatially separated or interconnected. These microscopic materials provide novel opportunities for generating biomimetic cell culture environments and are thus key to the advances of modern biomedical research. The evolution of the physical and chemical properties has, furthermore, highlighted the potentials of microgels in the context of materials science and bioengineering. This review describes the recent research progress in the fabrication, characterization, and applications of microgels generated from biomolecular building blocks. A key enabling technology allowing the tailoring of the properties of microgels is their synthesis through microfluidic technologies, and this paper highlights recent advances in these areas and their impact on expanding the physicochemical parameter space accessible using microgels. This review finally discusses the emerging roles that microgels play in liquid-liquid phase separation, micromechanics, biosensors, and regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufan Xu
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Hongjia Zhu
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Akhila Denduluri
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Yangteng Ou
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Nadia A Erkamp
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Runzhang Qi
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Yi Shen
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied 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, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
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