title: Flexible Asymmetric Encapsulation for Dehydration-Responsive Hybrid Microfibers.
abstract: A new class of smart alginate microfibers with asymmetric oil encapsulates is introduced. These fibers are produced by injecting an aqueous alginate solution into an outer aqueous calcium chloride solution to form alginate fibers, which are asymmetrically loaded with oil entities through eccentrically aligned inner capillaries. The fiber morphology and its degree of asymmetry can be tuned via altering the size, location, and frequency of the oil encapsulates. These asymmetric fibers reveal significant potential for applications where conventional symmetric fibers fail to perform. It is shown how asymmetric oil-encapsulated fibers can become dehydration-sensitive, and trigger the release of encapsulates if their hydration level drops below a critical value. It is also shown how the triggered response could be switched off on demand by stabilizing the oil encapsulates. The capability of asymmetric fibers to carry and release multiple cargos in parallel is demonstrated. The fibers loaded with equal-sized spheres are more asymmetric than those containing unequal drops, have a higher tensile strength, and show better potential for a triggered response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, King's College London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, UK.
authors.forename: Ankur S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Chaurasia
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, King's College London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, UK.
authors.forename: Shahriar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sajjadi
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000737:chemistry*; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D003681:Dehydration; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020723:Glucuronic Acid
keywords: alginate; asymmetric encapsulation; core-release; microfibers; microfluidics