title: Uniform biodegradable hydrogel microspheres fabricated by a surfactant-free electric-field-assisted method.
abstract: Uniform biodegradable hydrogel microspheres (HMS) with precisely controlled size have been fabricated using an electric-field-assisted precision particle fabrication technique. Particle agglomeration was prevented by charging the hydrogel drops and allowing Coulomb repulsion to separate them. As a result, surfactant-free and non-toxic particle fabrication was possible and the resulting microspheres were most suitable for biomedical and food-related applications. Due to the size uniformity, the present HMS may serve as a convenient yet most accurate vehicle for controlled delivery of therapeutic agents and other active ingredients.
authors: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, IL 61801, USA.
authors: Young Bin
authors: YB
authors: Choy
authors: Hyungsoo
authors: H
authors: Choi
authors: Kyekyoon  Kevin
authors: K
authors: Kim
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004563:Electrochemistry; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008863:Microspheres; D010316:Particle Size
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020100:Hydrogels; D048271:Chitosan