Issue 38, 2014

Synthesis of colloidal microgels using oxygen-controlled flow lithography

Abstract

We report a synthesis approach based on stop-flow lithography (SFL) for fabricating colloidal microparticles with any arbitrary 2D-extruded shape. By modulating the degree of oxygen inhibition during synthesis, we achieved previously unattainable particle sizes. Brownian diffusion of colloidal discs in bulk suggests the out-of-plane dimension can be as small as 0.8 μm, which agrees with confocal microscopy measurements. We measured the hindered diffusion of microdiscs near a solid surface and compared our results to theoretical predictions. These colloidal particles can also flow through physiological microvascular networks formed by endothelial cells undergoing vasculogensis under minimal hydrostatic pressure (∼5 mm H2O). This versatile platform creates future opportunities for on-chip parametric studies of particle geometry effects on particle passage properties, distribution and cellular interactions.

Graphical abstract: Synthesis of colloidal microgels using oxygen-controlled flow lithography

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 jun 2014
Accepted
23 jul 2014
First published
24 jul 2014

Soft Matter, 2014,10, 7595-7605

Synthesis of colloidal microgels using oxygen-controlled flow lithography

H. Z. An, H. B. Eral, L. Chen, M. B. Chen and P. S. Doyle, Soft Matter, 2014, 10, 7595 DOI: 10.1039/C4SM01400F

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