Controlled vesicle self-assembly in microfluidic channels with hydrodynamic focusing.
Traditional liposome preparation methods are based on mixing of bulk phases, leading to inhomogeneous chemical and/or mechanical conditions during formation; hence liposomes are often polydisperse in size and lamellarity. Here we show the formation of liposomes that encapsulate reagents in a continuous two-phase flow microfluidic network with precision control of size from 100 to 300 nm by manipulation of liquid flow rates. We demonstrate that by creating a solvent-aqueous interfacial region in a microfluidic format that is homogeneous and controllable on the length scale of a liposome, we can facilitate the fine control of liposome size and polydispersity.
Semiconductor Electronics Division and Analytical Chemistry Division, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
Andreas
A
Jahn
Wyatt N
WN
Vreeland
Michael
M
Gaitan
Laurie E
LE
Locascio
D005452:Fluoresceins / Q000737:chemistry; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D008081:Liposomes / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000379:methods*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry*
D005452:Fluoresceins; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008081:Liposomes; D010743:Phospholipids; C024098:6-carboxyfluorescein