title: Cellulose Nanocrystal Microcapsules as Tunable Cages for Nano- and Microparticles.
abstract: We demonstrate the fabrication of highly open spherical cages with large through pores using high aspect ratio cellulose nanocrystals with "haystack" shell morphology. In contrast to traditional ultrathin shell polymer microcapsules with random porous morphology and pore sizes below 10 nm with limited molecular permeability of individual macromolecules, the resilient cage-like microcapsules show a remarkable open network morphology that facilitates across-shell transport of large solid particles with a diameter from 30 to 100 nm. Moreover, the transport properties of solid nanoparticles through these shells can be pH-triggered without disassembly of these shells. Such behavior allows for the controlled loading and unloading of solid nanoparticles with much larger dimensions than molecular objects reported for conventional polymeric microcapsules.
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Chunhong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Sidney T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Malak
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Kesong
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: School of Light Industry Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University , Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, PR China.
authors.forename: Weibin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Vladimir V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Tsukruk
keywords: caged microcapsules; cellulose nanocrystals; particle loading; particle transport