Preparation of monodisperse hybrid gel particles with various morphologies via flow rate and temperature control

Abstract

We report a facile method for preparing monodisperse hybrid smart gel particles with various morphologies by using microfluidic techniques and the swelling–shrinking phenomenon of thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) gel particles. We demonstrate that PNIPAM–polyacrylamide snowman-like, raspberry-like, and dumbbell-like hybrid gel particles can be prepared by controlling the flow rate and temperature.