Inkjet‐Based Technology for Microencapsulation of Gold Nanoparticles within Biocompatible Hydrogels

Abstract

Herein, an inkjet‐based technology as a versatile high throughput methodology for the microencapsulation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) inside a biocompatible chitosan hydrogel is described. This continuous automated inkjet production approach generates 30 µm diameter polymeric microcapsules and offers a high rate of production and nanoparticle encapsulation efficiency of 14 nm diameter AuNPs, precise control of the microcapsule size, and ease of scale‐up. The hybrid microcapsules demonstrate biocompatible cell‐adhesion properties and resist degradation over a large range of pH, making them particularly relevant for a variety of potential health applications.

Harvesting Light To Produce Heat: Photothermal Nanoparticles for Technological Applications and Biomedical Devices

“… [193] Inkjet printing has not been restricted to create 2D patterns, as it has been used also to prepare microcapsules containing photothermal NP for applications in cell therapy and tissue repairing. A recent work [202] reports the development of a custom made inkjet printing setup to produce micron‐size droplets of chitosan containing gold nanoparticles (14 nm average size), showing a low degree of aggregation. The printed chitosan microcapsules have high adhesion ability on HeLa cells, without appreciable cytotoxicity, and they are highly resistant to degradation even at the acidic pH of gastric medium.…”