Thermal behavior of polyelectrolyte multilayer microcapsules: 2. Insight into molecular mechanisms for the PDADMAC/PSS system

Polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules consisting of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) were used as a model system to study the temperature-dependent behavior of polyelectrolyte multilayer films in aqueous media. Shells terminated with PSS shrink upon heating, whereas PDADMAC-terminated ones swell, independent of the nature of the first layer, as measured by means of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Elemental analysis shows that the initial exponential layer growth of the film leads to a nearly neutral overall charge in the first case or a high positive excess charge in the latter. Depending on this overall charge either surface tension, due to an unfavorable polymer-solvent interaction, or electrostatics dominates, resulting in a shrinkage or expansion of capsules, respectively. Thus, it is possible to swell temperature-shrunk capsules by coating them with an additional PDADMAC layer. Micro-DSC measurements prove that polyelectrolyte multilayers undergo a glass transition in water at which the wall material softens, allowing the rearrangements to occur. It is found that the thermal history has an influence on the temperature behavior of capsules, especially on those ones terminated with PDADMAC. Also, the molecular weight of the polyelectrolytes affects the rearrangement of capsules. The lower the molecular weight and thus the smaller the entanglement of chains, the easier polyelectrolytes can rearrange.     

Preparation of glucose-sensitive microcapsules with a porous membrane and functional gates

A glucose-sensitive microcapsule with a porous membrane and with linear-grafted polyacrylic acid (PAAC) chains and covalently bound glucose oxidase (GOD) enzymes in the membrane pores acting as functional gates was successfully prepared. Polyamide microcapsules with a porous membrane were prepared by interfacial polymerization, PAAC chains were grafted into the pores of the microcapsule membrane by plasma-graft pore-filling polymerization, and GOD enzymes were immobilized onto the PAAC-grafted microcapsules by a carbodiimide method. The release rates of model drug solutes from the fabricated microcapsules were significantly sensitive to the existence of glucose in the environmental solution. In solution, the release rate of either sodium chloride or VB(12) molecules from the microcapsules was low but increased dramatically in the presence of 0.2mol/L glucose. The prepared PAAC-grafted and GOD-immobilized microcapsules showed a reversible glucose-sensitive release characteristic. The proposed microcapsules provide a new mode for injection-type self-regulated drug delivery systems having the capability of adapting the release rate of drugs such as insulin in response to changes in glucose concentration, which is highly attractive for diabetes therapy.     

Fabrication strategy for amphiphilic microcapsules with narrow size distribution by premix membrane emulsification

Amphiphilic co-polymer, which can maintain the stability of proteins and increase the protein loading efficiency, is considered as an exploring-worthy biodegrade polymer for drug delivery. However, amphiphilic microcapsules prepared by conventional methods, such like mechanical stirring and spray-drying methods, exhibit broad size distributions due to its hydrophilic sequences, leading to poor reproducibility. In this study, we employed poly(monomethoxypoly ethylene glycol-co-D,L-lactide) (mPEG-PLA, PELA), one of common amphiphilic polymers, as model to focus on investigating the process parameters and mechanisms to prepare PELA microcapsules with narrow size distribution and regular sphericity by combining premix membrane emulsification and double emulsion technique. The coarse double emulsion with broad size distribution was repeatedly pressed through Shirasu Porous Glass (SPG) membrane with relatively high pressure to form the fine emulsion with narrow size distribution. Then, the microcapsules with narrow size distribution can be obtained by solvent extraction method. It was found that it was more difficult to obtain PELA microcapsules with narrow size distribution and smooth surface due to its amphiphilic property, compared with the cases of PLA and PLGA. The smooth surface morphology was found to be related to several factors including internal water phase with less volume, slower stirring rate during solidification and using ethyl acetate as oil phase. It was also found that mass ratio of hydrophilic mPEG, stabilizer PVA concentration in external water phase and transmembrane pressure played important role on the distribution of microcapsules size. The suitable preparation conditions were determined as follows: for the membrane with pore size of 2.8 μm, the mass ratio of PLA/mPEG was 19:1, volume ratio of W(1)/O was 1:10 and O/W(2) was 1:5, PVA concentration (w/v) was 1.0%, magnetic stirring rate during solidification was 60 rpm and 300 kPa was chosen as transmembrane pressure. There was a linear relationship between the diameter of microcapsules and the pore size of the membranes. Finally, by manipulating the process parameters, PELA microcapsules with narrow size distributions (coefficient of variation was less than 15%), smooth morphology and various sizes, were obtained. Most importantly, the key factors affecting fabrication have been revealed and mechanisms were illustrated in detail, which would shed light on the research of amphiphilic polymer formulation.     

Light-responsive polyelectrolyte/gold nanoparticle microcapsules

We report the preparation and characterization of light-responsive delivery vehicles, microcapsules composed of multiple polyelectrolyte layers and light-absorbing gold nanoparticles. The nanostructured capsules were loaded with macromolecules (fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled dextran) by exploiting the pH-dependence of the shell permeability, and the encapsulated material was released on demand upon irradiation with short (10 ns) laser pulses in the near-infrared (1064 nm). In addition, the polyelectrolyte multilayer shell was modified with lipids (dilauroylphosphatidylethanolamine) and then functionalized with ligands (monoclonal immunoglobulin G antibodies) for the purposes of enhanced stability and targeted delivery, respectively. We anticipate that these capsules will find application in a range of areas where controlled delivery is desirable.     

Preparation and characterization of dual stimuli-responsive microcapsules with a superparamagnetic porous membrane and thermo-responsive gates

A novel dual stimuli-responsive microcapsule with a superparamagnetic porous membrane and linear-grafted poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) gates in the membrane pores is successfully prepared and characterized. Oleic acid (OA)-modified Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles are embedded into the polyamide microcapsule membrane during interfacial polymerization process, and then plasma-induced grafting polymerization is used to graft PNIPAM into the pores of microcapsule membranes. The prepared microcapsule membranes exhibit time-independent superparamagnetic property with good magnetic-responsive ability, and satisfactory thermo-responsive controlled-release property due to the thermo-responsive swollen/shrunken property of PNIPAM gates grafted on the inner pore surface of the microcapsule membranes.     

pH/temperature dual stimuli-responsive microcapsules with interpenetrating polymer network structure

The microcapsules with interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) structure based on crosslinked poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and crosslinked poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) were fabricated in a three-step process. Firstly, silica/PNIPAM core/shell composite particles were synthesized by thermo-initiated seed precipitation polymerization using 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate modified silica colloidal particles as seeds and N-isopropylacrylamide and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as monomer and crosslinker, respectively. Secondly, PAA network was incorporated into the shell of the composite particles by redox-initiated polymerization of acrylic acid and MBA entrapped in the PNIPAM network. Finally, the silica core of the composite particles was removed using hydrofluoric acid under certain condition to produce the microcapsules. The chemical compositions, their mass ratio, and particle sizes of the particles formed in each step were determined by Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, and dynamic laser light scattering (DLLS), respectively. The IPN structure of the microcapsules was identified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using uranyl acetate staining method, and their hollow structure was evidenced by TEM and scanning electron microscopy. Their temperature- or pH-dependent hydrodynamic diameters were measured by DLLS, and the results showed that the microcapules had both pH- and temperature-responsive properties, and the temperature-responsive component and the pH-responsive component inside the microcapsule shell had little interference with each other.     

Preparation of insulin-loaded PLA/PLGA microcapsules by a novel membrane emulsification method and its release in vitro

Uniform-sized biodegradable PLA/PLGA microcapsules loading recombinant human insulin (rhI) were successfully prepared by combining a Shirasu Porous Glass (SPG) membrane emulsification technique and a double emulsion-evaporation method. An aqueous phase containing rhI was used as the inner water phase (w1), and PLA/PLGA and Arlacel 83 were dissolved in a mixture solvent of dichloromethane (DCM) and toluene, which was used as the oil phase (o). These two solutions were emulsified by a homogenizer to form a w1/o primary emulsion. The primary emulsion was permeated through the uniform pores of a SPG membrane into an outer water phase by the pressure of nitrogen gas to form the uniform w1/o/w2 droplets. The solid polymer microcapsules were obtained by simply evaporating solvent from droplets. Various factors of the preparation process influencing the drug encapsulation efficiency and the drug cumulative release were investigated systemically. The results indicated that the drug encapsulation efficiency and the cumulative release were affected by the PLA/PLGA ratio, NaCl concentration in outer water phase, the inner water phase volume, rhI-loading amount, pH-value in outer water phase and the size of microcapsules. By optimizing the preparation process, the drug encapsulation efficiency was high up to 91.82%. The unique advantage of preparing drug-loaded microcapsules by membrane emulsification technique is that the size of microcapsules can be controlled accurately, and thus the drug cumulative release profile can be adjusted just by changing the size of microcapsules. Moreover, much higher encapsulation efficiency can be obtained when compared with the conventional mechanical stirring method.     

Synthesis of nanoparticle-assembled tin oxide/polymer microcapsules

Tin oxide nanoparticles can be assembled into micron-sized hollow capsule structures through a simple mixing procedure based on charge-mediated polymer aggregate templating.     

Synthesis of microcapsules with polystyrene/ZnO hybrid shell by Pickering emulsion polymerization

Polystyrene/zinc oxide (ZnO) hybrid microcapsules having polystyrene as inner shell and ZnO nanoparticles as outer shell were synthesized by Pickering emulsion polymerization method. ZnO nanoparticles were used to form the colloidosomes that worked as the polymerization vessels, where both styrene monomer and crosslink agent were polymerized together. Fourier transform infrared spectra and thermogravimetric thermograms showed the existence of ZnO and polystyrene in the shell of hybrid microcapsules. The hollow structure and the different morphology under various conditions were also observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the shell thickness of hybrid microcapsules increased as the monomer concentration increased. The photoluminescence property of PS/ZnO hybrid microcapsules could be maintained without any noticeable variation by comparing with the pure ZnO particles. It could be reasonably deduced that hybrid hollow microspheres with multifarious polymer as inner shell and ZnO nanoparticles as outer shell would be produced for many applications.     

Study of SPG membrane emulsification processes for the preparation of monodisperse core-shell microcapsules

Experimental investigations on the Shirasu-porous-glass (SPG)-membrane emulsification processes for preparing monodisperse core-shell microcapsules with porous membranes were carried out systematically. The results showed that, to get monodisperse oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions by SPG membrane emulsification, it was more important to choose an anionic surfactant than to consider hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) matching. Increasing the viscosity of either the disperse phase or the continuous phase or decreasing the solubility of the disperse phase in the continuous phase could improve both the monodispersity and the stability of emulsions. With increasing monomer concentration inside the disperse phase, the monodispersity of emulsions became slightly worse and the mean diameter of emulsions gradually became smaller. Monodisperse monomer-containing emulsions were obtained when the SPG membrane pore size was larger than 1.0 micro m, and from these emulsions satisfactory monodisperse core-shell microcapsules with a porous membrane were prepared. On the other hand, when the SPG membrane pore size was smaller than 1.0 mciro m, no monodisperse emulsions were obtained because of the formation and chokage of solid monomer crystals in the pores or at the end of the pores of the SPG membrane. This was due to the remarkable solvation and diffusion of the solvent in water. With increasing the emulsification time the average emulsion diameter generally decreased, and the monodispersity of the emulsions gradually became worse.     

相变调温微胶囊的制备及其在PVA膜中的应用

采用类核壳乳液聚合法制备了相变调温微胶囊(Micro PCMs),并与聚乙烯醇(PVA)水溶液共混,制备了具有相变调温功能的PVA膜,对微胶囊及PVA复合膜的表面形貌、化学结构、耐热性能及相变调温等性能进行了研究,同时对PVA膜的断裂强度和拉伸强度进行了表征.结果表明,相变调温PVA膜的相变焓随MicroPCMs用量的增加而增大,当MicroPCMs与PVA的质量比为1∶1时,相变调温PVA膜的熔融焓与结晶焓分别为43.9和-44.8J/g,具有较好的相变调温功能.     

Novel fiber reinforced bismaleimide/diallyl bisphenol A/microcapsules composites

Three kinds of poly(urea‐formaldehyde) (PUF) microcapsules filled with epoxy resins (MCEs) were applied to bismaleimide (BMI)/O,O′‐diallyl bisphenol A (BA) system to develop novel fiber reinforced BMI/BA/MECs composites. The effects of MCEs on the mechanical properties, the hot‐wet resistance, and the dynamic mechanical properties of fiber reinforced BMI/BA composites were investigated. The morphologies of fiber reinforced BMI/BA/MCEs composites were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical microscope (OM). Results indicate that the appropriate contents of MCEs can significantly improve the mechanical properties and the hot‐wet resistance of fiber reinforced BMI/BA composites. In this study, MCEs may decrease the storage modulus of fiber reinforced BMI/BA composite but they have no significant influence on the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the composite. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of hollow polylactide microcapsules through premix membrane emulsification—Effects of nonsolvent properties

Hollow polylactide microcapsules that can be used as ultrasound contrast agents were prepared using premix membrane emulsification. Polylactide/dichloromethane and dodecane solutions were emulsified together with a nonsolvent phase (water or a water–alcohol mixture) by repeated passage through a glass fibre membrane. The solvent, dichloromethane, diffuses out of the droplets and the polylactide solidifies around a droplet of dodecane. To investigate the effect of the nonsolvent properties on the size and span of the microcapsules, different methanol–water, ethanol–water and 2-propanol–water mixtures were used as nonsolvents.     

Lipid modified polyelectrolyte microcapsules with controlled diffusion

The lipid coating introduced directly on (polystyrene sulfonate/polyallylamine hydrochloride)5 polyelectrolyte microcapsule surfaces significantly reduces the permeability of capsule walls estimated by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP).     

Polymer microcapsules with a fiber-reinforced nanocomposite shell

Polymer microcapsules can be used as controlled release systems in drugs or in foods. Using layer-by-layer adsorption of common food proteins and polysaccharides, we produced a new type of microcapsule with tunable strength and permeability. The shell consists of alternating layers of pectin and whey protein fibrils, yielding a fiber-reinforced nanocomposite shell. The strength can be tightly controlled by varying the number of layers or the density and length of the fibrils in the protein layers. The mechanical stability of these microcapsules appears to be superior to that of currently available multilayer capsules. The method involves only standard unit operations and has the potential for scaling up to industrial production volumes.     

One Pot Synthesis of Surface PEGylated Core–Shell Microparticles by Suspension Polymerization with Surface Enrichment of Biotin/Avidin Conjugation

Core–shell microparticles that consist of poly(vinyl neodecanoate) (VND) crosslinked with poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (EGDMA) as the core and poly(ethylene glycol methacrylate) (PEGMA) ( = 360 or = 526 g · mol^?1) as the shell have been synthesized using suspension polymerization by a conventional free radical polymerization process. Interfacial tension and stability tests show that PEGMA acts as an amphiphilic macromonomer and is located on the oil/water interface of the suspension system, thus forming an outer layer during the polymerization. Kinetic studies of the monomers' conversion of VND, EGDMA, and PEGMA have been carried out using ¹H NMR spectroscopy. EGDMA and PEGMA were found to have faster reaction rates compared to VND. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy showed that the polymerization of these particles starts from the shell and finishes towards the core. Consequently, the resulting microsphere is found to have a multi‐layer structure. Biotin was covalently bound to the surface by the PEGMA hydroxy groups. Conjugation of biotin with streptavidin PE (phycoerythrin) was subsequently carried out. Confocal microscopy was used to confirm the presence of fluorescing streptavidin. The amount of avidin conjugated to the microspheres was calculated by the release of a 2‐(4‐hydroxyphenylazo)benzoic acid/avidin complex using UV/vis spectroscopy. One avidin molecule was found to occupy 7 nm² on the surface of the microspheres.

     

Polymer microcapsules with "foamed" membranes

This article describes the preparation of capsules displaying craters at their surfaces and independent holes inside their membranes. These poly(methylmethacrylate) capsules of 20 to 200 microm diameter are prepared by a solvent evaporation process and typically contain a dispersant, polyvinyl alcohol, and an excipient, namely, a fatty acid triglyceride (miglyol 812). Spectroscopic methods showed that, depending on the miglyol content, the craters at the surface exhibited sizes of about 1 to 2 microm, whereas the core structure of the membrane changed significantly, typically from "soft-part-of-bread" up to "foamed"-like aspects. Among several spectroscopy techniques, confocal fluorescence microscopy confirmed that the capsules retained the miglyol in their core and not in the craters or holes, even after centrifugation and handling. This technique also showed that holes in the membrane are filled with water. A possible analysis of the "foaming" phenomenon based on the surface tensions of different oils, as well as their optimal hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLBO), is added to generalize the concept.     

聚电解质PDDA/PSS层层自组装膜的渗透汽化性能

采用聚电解质层层自组装(LbL)技术, 在不同盐浓度下制备了聚(二烯丙基二甲基氯化铵)/聚苯乙烯磺酸钠(PDDA/PSS) 多层自组装膜, 并用于渗透汽化性能的研究. 重点考察了组装溶液中NaCl的浓度、组装层数及操作温度对自组装膜的异丙醇脱水性能的影响. 同时, 用扫描电镜观测了不同条件下制备膜的表面形貌. 结果表明, 在高NaCl含量的聚电解质溶液中只需组装几个双层的LbL膜, 即能获得较高的分离因子和较大的通量, 并解释了该LbL膜呈现反“trade-off”现象的原因.