Temperature-Range Tunable Hydrogel Microcapsules for Controlled Active Release
발표자
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초록
내용
We report PNIPAm-co-PEGDA hydrogel shelled microcapsules with a thin oil layer to achieve tunable thermo-responsive release of the encapsulated small hydrophilic actives. The interstitial oil layer between the aqueous core and the PNIPAm-co-PEGDA shell provides a diffusion barrier for the encapsulated active until the temperature reaches a critical point above which the destabilization of the interstitial oil layer occurs. The destabilization of the oil layer with temperature increase is caused by outward expansion of the aqueous core and the radial inward compression from the thermos-responsive hydrogel shell’s deswelling. The copolymerization of NIPAm with PEGDA increases the biocompatibility of the microcapsule while offering the ability to alter the compressive modulus in broad ranges by varying the crosslinker concentrations, thereby precisely tuning the onset release temperature. Furthermore, the release temperature can be enhanced up to 62 oC by adjusting the shell thickness.