Osmosis-mediated Microfluidic Production of Submillimeter-sized Microcapsules for Cosmetic Application
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Microcapsules have been utilized in medicine and cosmetics to provide controlled drug delivery and stable storage. There is a demand for sub-millimeter sized capsules with an ultra-thin membrane with high visibility and no tactile sensation after release. By droplet microfluidics, monodisperse microcapsules with controlled size, membrane properties, and membrane thickness can be produced. However, directly produced microcapsules have a low size upper limit. Herein, submillimeter-sized biodegradable microcapsules are produced by osmotic swelling of a water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double-emulsion drops in a strong hypotonic condition and subsequently consolidated by solvent evaporation. The microcapsules can be swollen up to nine times their original volume. The swollen microcapsules are perceivable with sight and touch when they are intact, but lose both sensations under mechanical stress. The mechanical property of the microcapsules is investigated by single-microcapsule testing.