Spreading-induced dewetting for monolayer colloidosomes with responsive permeability

Abstract

Herein, we present a spreading-induced dewetting approach of Pickering emulsion droplets for fabricating monolayer colloidosomes. The dewetting of the water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsion droplets is triggered by the quick spreading and wetting of the fluorinated oil phase on the water/air surface. By combining this colloidosome formation mechanism with thermo-responsive copolymer that adsorbs or desorbs at the surface of the colloidosome shell, we fabricated smart monolayer colloidosomes using a microfluidic-templated approach. These colloidosomes are highly monodisperse and possess a well-defined shell microstructure, tunable permeability, biocompatibility, mechanical stability, and high encapsulation efficiency. These attributes will pave the way for effective encapsulation, transport, and release of a range of active ingredients, especially the biologically active materials.