Preparation of highly monodispersed porous-channeled poly (caprolactone) microspheres by a microfluidic system

Microspheres with a porous structure are promising cell carriers for tissue engineering. Here we explored monodisperse porous poly(caprolactone) (PCL) microspheres produced by a microfluidic system. The microfluidic device could generate homogeneous structured microspheres with excellent monodispersity. The microsphere size was tunable from 210 to 330 mu m by adjusting the sheath flow rate from 170 to 330 Am. Camphene, used as a pore-generating material, was effective in creating open-channels, and the channel structure was significantly influenced by the solidification temperature and content of camphene. The size-tunable, monodisperse, and channeled-microspheres developed by using camphene and microfluidic device may be a potential platform in many areas, including biomolecule separation, drug delivery, and cell culture. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.