Researcher(s)
- Kaelin Marshall, Biochemistry, University of New Hampshire
Faculty Mentor(s)
- April Kloxin, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware
Abstract
Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) microgels are promising vehicles for controlled drug delivery due to their tunable size and release characteristics. While microfluidic fabrication offers precise control over microgel properties, it is inherently low-throughput and difficult to scale. In this study, we investigate the use of a batch emulsion method as a more efficient, higher-yield alternative, although it historically suffers from a lack of well-defined tunability. The goal of this work was to optimize batch emulsion parameters to match the performance of microfluidic microgels in terms of size, polydispersity, and release characteristics.
We varied vortex speeds (1500–3000 rpm) and mixing durations (15–45 seconds) to assess their effects on microgel size, polydispersity, and release behavior, using FITC-dextran as a model drug. Results show that increasing vortex speed consistently reduced average microgel size and polydispersity. Longer mixing times further narrowed size distributions. Notably, microgels produced at 3000 rpm exhibited release profiles comparable to the microfluidic counterparts, indicating that the batch method can match key performance characteristics while improving production efficiency.
These findings demonstrate that with appropriate parameter tuning, batch emulsion fabrication can yield microgels suitable for biomedical applications. This work supports a shift toward scalable, high-throughput manufacturing of advanced drug delivery systems.