The success of gene technologies hinges on our ability to engineer superior encapsulation and delivery vectors. Cubosomes are lipid-based nanoparticles where membranes, instead of enveloping into classic liposomes, intertwine into complex arrays of pores well-ordered in a cubic lattice. These complex nanoparticles encapsulate large contents of siRNA compared to a liposomal analogue. Importantly, the membranes that form cubosomes have intrinsic fusogenic properties that promote fast endosomal escape. Despite the great potential, traditional routes of forming cubosomes lead to particle sizes too large to fulfill the state-of-the art requirements of delivery vectors. To overcome this challenge, we utilize a microfluidic nanomanufacturing device to synthesize cubosomes and siRNA-loaded cubosomes, termed cuboplexes. Utilizing cryogenic TEM and small angle X-ray scattering we elucidate the time-resolved mechanisms in which microfluidic devices allow the production of small cubosomes and cuboplexes (75 nm) that outperform commercially available delivery vectors, as well as liposome-based systems.
Deformation-based particle/droplet separation is important in many industrial and medical applications. The roles of different physical parameters of particles/droplets such as viscosity, velocity, and size in the sorting process, however, remain elusive. Here, we designed a microfluidic device with a cylindrical post that can separate droplets depending on droplet size, viscosity, and velocity. We showed that droplets with a large size or low deformability (i.e., high viscosity or low velocity) were separated to side outlets in the microfluidic device, whereas droplets with a small size or high deformability exited to the center outlet. With high-speed imaging, we further identified two sequential droplet deformations during the sorting process and showed that the characteristic distance (δ) and the impact angle (θ), which were determined by the physical parameters of droplets, played a regulatory role in deformation-based droplet sorting. Droplet sorting to the side outlets occurred only when δ ≥ 0.542 or θ ≥ 28°.
In this paper, we measured liquid surface tension coefficient of the 20 degrees' pure water by FD-NST-I liquid surface tension coefficient measuring instrument, and made further discussion of when to read the number of digital voltmeter. We divided the pulling escape process of ring leaving liquid membrane into five stages, researched on the force analysis of the metal ring and the change of digital voltmeter of each stage, and discussed mathematically of the pulling escape process of liquid membrane by contrasting analysis of the measuring experiment, and finally made the conclusion that in the measurement, it is the maximum value of the digital voltmeter in the process that the ring pulls off the liquid membrane that should be read. Experimental measurement device and principle This experiment uses the FD-NST-I type liquid surface tension coefficient measuring instrument, as shown in Fig.1, and then uses the silicon pressure resistance sensor witch have more sensitivity and accuracy, and changes the force to electrical signals to measure tiny tension [3,4]. Fig. 1 FD-NST-I type liquid surface tension coefficient measuring device
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