Facile Fabrication of Starch-Based Microrods by Shear-Assisted Antisolvent-Induced and Solidification

作者：Zhang, Qimeng; Pei, Xiaopeng^*; Hu, Kepeng; Zhou, Yating; Ma, Ming-Liang; Wang, Mingquan; An, Huiyong^*; Tan, Ying^*

来源：ACS Macro Letters, 2022, 11(11): 1238-1244.

DOI：10.1021/acsmacrolett.2c00524

• POLYMER MICRORODS
• NANOPARTICLES
• RODS
• NANOPRECIPITATION
• EMULSIFICATION
• PARTICLES
• LIQUID
• FLOW

Rod-like particles have attracted increasing attention because of their unique shape-dependent properties, which enable their superior performance compared to their isotropic counterparts. Thus, rod-like particles have potential applications in many fields, especially in biomedicine. However, the fabrication of uniform rod-like particles is challenging because of the principle of interfacial energy minimization. Herein, we present a facile, rapid, and cost-effective strategy for preparing starch-based microrods with tunable aspect ratios via shear-assisted antisolvent-induced nanoprecipitation and solidification. The preformed spherical particles swollen by the mixed solvent were elongated by the shear force and solidified in rod-like shape by antisolvent induction. The resulting starch-based microrods can encapsulate hydrophobic active substances and be modified with functional groups, indicating their potential applications as drug carriers and biologically active materials. The formation mechanism of the starch-based microrods discovered in this study provides a new perspective on the fabrication of rod-like polymer particles.

• 单位
  y; 中国科学院研究生院