Microfluidic-based fabrication, characterization and magnetic functionalization of microparticles with novel internal anisotropic structure

Easy fabrication and independent control of the internal and external morphologies of core-shell microparticles still remain challenging. Core-shell microparticle comprised of a previously unknown internal anisotropic structure and a spherical shell was fabricated by microfluidic-based emulsificaiton and photopolymerization. The interfacial and spatial 3D morphology of the anisotropic structure were observed by SEM and micro-CT respectively. Meanwhile, a series of layer-by-layer scans of the anisotropic structure were obtained via the micro-CT, which enhanced the detail characterization and analysis of micro materials. The formation mechanism of the internal anisotropic structure may be attributed to solution-directed diffusion caused by the semipermeable membrane structure and chemical potential difference between inside and outside of the semipermeable membrane-like polymerized shell. The morphology evolution of the anisotropic structure was influenced and controlled by adjusting reaction parameters including polymerization degree, polymerization speed, and solute concentration difference. The potential applications of these microparticles in microrheological characterization and image enhancement were also proposed by embedding magnetic nanoparticles in the inner core.