Molecularly Imprinted Polymeric Particles Created Using Droplet-Based Microfluidics: Preparation and Applications

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed increased attention to the use of droplet-based microfluidics as a tool for the fabrication of microparticles due to this method’s ability to exploit fluid mechanics to create materials with a narrow range of sizes. In addition, this approach offers a controllable way to configure the composition of the resulting micro/nanomaterials. To date, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in particle form have been prepared using various polymerization methods for several applications in biology and chemistry. However, the traditional approach, that is, the production of microparticles through grinding and sieving, generally leads to poor control over particle size and distribution. Droplet-based microfluidics offers an attractive alternative for the fabrication of molecularly imprinted microparticles. This mini-review aims to present recent examples highlighting the application of droplet-based microfluidics to fabricate molecularly imprinted polymeric particles for applications in the chemical and biomedical sciences.

Porous Microgels for Delivery of Curcumin: Microfluidics-Based Fabrication and Cytotoxicity Evaluation

“…Polymeric microgels, produced via the microfluidics technique, have emerged as a fascinating area of research in materials science and biotechnology [1][2][3]. These miniature hydrogel particles, typically ranging from hundreds of nanometers to a few micrometers in size, impart unique properties that make them vital in a wide range of applications [4][5][6]. Microfluidics, a technology that manipulates fluids in microscale channels, allows precise control over the synthesis process, resulting in well-defined and uniform polymeric microgels [7].…”