title: Coaxial electrohydrodynamic atomization process for production of polymeric composite microspheres.
abstract: Polymeric composite microspheres consisting of a poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) core surrounded by a poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PDLLA) shell layer were successfully fabricated by coaxial electrohydrodynamic atomization (CEHDA) process. Process conditions, including nozzle voltage and polymer solution flow rates, as well as solution parameters, such as polymer concentrations, were investigated to ensure the formation of composite microspheres with a doxorubicin-loaded PLGA core surrounded by a relatively drug-free PDLLA shell layer. Various microsphere formulations were fabricated and characterized in terms of their drug distribution, encapsulation efficiency andin vitrorelease. Numerical simulation of CEHDA process was performed based on a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model in Fluent by employing the process conditions and fluid properties used in the experiments. The simulation results were compared with the experimental work to illustrate the capability of the CFD model to predict the production of consistent compound droplets, and hence, the expected core-shell structured microspheres.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore 117576, Singapore ; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Qingxing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore 117576, Singapore.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore 117576, Singapore.
authors.forename: Zhenyuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Institute for Energy Technology, Department of Process and Fluid Flow Technology, P.O. Box 40, NO-2027, Kjeller, Norway.
authors.forename: Jinsong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Pack
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore 117576, Singapore.
authors.forename: Chi-Hwa
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: Coaxial electrohydrodynamic atomization; core-shell structured microspheres; mathematical modeling; multiphase flow; polymers; simulation