Microfluidic synthesis of monodisperse porous microspheres with size-tunable pores

Abstract

We use a perfluorinated-dendrimer–dye complex that stabilizes microbubbles as a novel pore-forming agent. We use microfluidics to produce monodisperse emulsions containing a polymer matrix material, a model active, and the perfluorinated complex; upon drying, the emulsions form porous microspheres. This porosity causes the encapsulated model active to be released faster than from non-porous microspheres. Moreover, because of the fluorous features of the pores, we can also attach an additional guest molecule to the pores which is released with a profile that is distinct from that of the encapsulated active. These porous microspheres can encapsulate and controllably release multiple actives; this makes them valuable for applications such as drug delivery and imaging.