Preparation of monodisperse PEG hydrogel microparticles using a microfluidic flow-focusing device

Trung-Dung Dang; Young Ho Kim; Hwan Gon Kim; Gyu Man Kim

Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol.18, No.4, 1308-1313, July, 2012

DOI10.1016/j.jiec.2012.01.028 Export Citation

Preparation of monodisperse PEG hydrogel microparticles using a microfluidic flow-focusing device

Trung-Dung Dang, Young Ho Kim^{1, †}, Hwan Gon Kim, and Gyu Man Kim^†

School of Mechanical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, South Korea
¹Research Institute of Advanced Energy Technology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, South Korea

E-mail:,

A microfluidic assisted preparation method of nearly monosized poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) microparticles has been described. Three types of microfluidic flow-focusing devices with different geometries were fabricated using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Microdroplets of PEG hydrogel were successfully prepared in the microfluidic flow-focusing devices by adjusting the flow rates of the continuous phase, namely, mineral oil, and the dispersed phase, viz., hydrogel solution. Then, the microdroplets of PEG hydrogel were cured by UV irradiation. Various experimental conditions pertaining to the geometry of the microfluidic flow-focusing device, flow rates of the dispersed and continuous phases, and concentration of PEG hydrogel solution were investigated and optimized to fabricate monosized PEG hydrogel microparticles. The prepared PEG microparticles were nearly monosized in the range of 40 μm to 200 μm in diameter according to the above experimental conditions. Then, PEG hydrogel particles laden with microbeads of 6 μm diameter were fabricated using the microfluidic flowfocusing devices with the optimized conditions.

Keywords:Flow-focusing device;Microparticles;Hydrogel;PEG;Droplets

[References]

Dendukuri D, Pregibon DC, Collins J, Hatton TA, Doyle PS, Nat. Mater., 5, 365 (2006)
Nie ZH, Li W, Seo M, Xu SQ, Kumacheva E, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 128(29), 9408 (2006)
Nisisako T, Torii T, Higuchi T, Chem. Eng. J., 101(1-3), 23 (2004)
Serra CA, Chang ZQ, Chem. Eng. Technol., 31(8), 1099 (2008)
Sugiura S, Nakajima M, Tong J, Nabetani H, Seki M, J. Colloid Interface Sci., 277, 95 (2000)
Pande P, Ali S, Lo E, Chung BG, Hatton TA, Khademhosseini A, Doyle PS, Lab Chip., 8, 1056 (2008)
Hwang DK, Dendukuri D, Doyle PS, Lab Chip., 8, 1640 (2008)
Kim J, Serpe MJ, Lyon LA, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 126(31), 9512 (2004)
Engl W, Backov R, Panizza P, Curr. Opin. Colloid Interface Sci., 13, 206 (2008)
Whitesides GM, Nature., 442 (2006)
Thorsen T, Robert RW, Arnold FH, Quake SR, Phys. Rev. Lett., 86, 4163 (2001)
Gu H, Duits MHG, Mugele F, Int. J. Mol. Sci., 12(4), 2572 (2011)
Teh SY, Lin R, Hung LH, Lee AP, Lab Chip., 8, 198 (2008)
Anna SL, Bontoux N, Stone HA, Appl. Phys. Lett., 82, 364 (2003)
Dreyfus R, Tabeling P, Willaime H, Phys. Rev. Lett., 90, 144505 (2003)
Lee W, Walker LM, Anna SL, Phys. Fluids., 21, 032103 (2009)
Collins J, Lee AP, Microfluid. Nanofluid., 3, 19 (2007)
Ward T, Faivre M, Abkarian M, Stone HA, Electrophoresis, 26(19), 3716 (2005)
Cubaud T, Mason TG, Phys. Fluids., 20, 053302 (2008)
Nie Z, Seo MS, Xu SQ, Lewis PC, Mok M, Kumacheva E, Whitesides GM, Garstecki P, Stone HA, Microfluid. Nanofluid., 5, 585 (2008)

[Referenced By]

[1] Dendukuri D, Pregibon DC, Collins J, Hatton TA, Doyle PS, Nat. Mater., 5, 365 (2006)

[2] Nie ZH, Li W, Seo M, Xu SQ, Kumacheva E, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 128(29), 9408 (2006)

[3] Nisisako T, Torii T, Higuchi T, Chem. Eng. J., 101(1-3), 23 (2004)

[4] Serra CA, Chang ZQ, Chem. Eng. Technol., 31(8), 1099 (2008)

[5] Sugiura S, Nakajima M, Tong J, Nabetani H, Seki M, J. Colloid Interface Sci., 277, 95 (2000)

[6] Pande P, Ali S, Lo E, Chung BG, Hatton TA, Khademhosseini A, Doyle PS, Lab Chip., 8, 1056 (2008)

[7] Hwang DK, Dendukuri D, Doyle PS, Lab Chip., 8, 1640 (2008)

[8] Kim J, Serpe MJ, Lyon LA, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 126(31), 9512 (2004)

[9] Engl W, Backov R, Panizza P, Curr. Opin. Colloid Interface Sci., 13, 206 (2008)

[10] Whitesides GM, Nature., 442 (2006)

[11] Thorsen T, Robert RW, Arnold FH, Quake SR, Phys. Rev. Lett., 86, 4163 (2001)

[12] Gu H, Duits MHG, Mugele F, Int. J. Mol. Sci., 12(4), 2572 (2011)

[13] Teh SY, Lin R, Hung LH, Lee AP, Lab Chip., 8, 198 (2008)

[14] Anna SL, Bontoux N, Stone HA, Appl. Phys. Lett., 82, 364 (2003)

[15] Dreyfus R, Tabeling P, Willaime H, Phys. Rev. Lett., 90, 144505 (2003)

[16] Lee W, Walker LM, Anna SL, Phys. Fluids., 21, 032103 (2009)

[17] Collins J, Lee AP, Microfluid. Nanofluid., 3, 19 (2007)

[18] Ward T, Faivre M, Abkarian M, Stone HA, Electrophoresis, 26(19), 3716 (2005)

[19] Cubaud T, Mason TG, Phys. Fluids., 20, 053302 (2008)

[20] Nie Z, Seo MS, Xu SQ, Lewis PC, Mok M, Kumacheva E, Whitesides GM, Garstecki P, Stone HA, Microfluid. Nanofluid., 5, 585 (2008)