Publication

Charge-Selectively Permeable Self-Healing Microcapsules

Esther Amstad, Chuen-Ru Li
2023
Journal paper
Abstract

Microcapsules possessing a selective permeability are well-suited vessels for conducting cell studies or chemical reactions that require selective exchanges of reagents over a prolonged time. Most currently reported microcapsules are single-use delivery carriers since cargo is only released in significant amounts if their shells are damaged or the release relies on passive diffusion. Stable capsules possessing a selective, rapidly interchangeable permeability, which enables their repeated loading and unloading with selected reagents remain to be shown. Here, capsules are introduced that are composed of thin, viscoelastic, charge-selective shells made of surfactants that are functionalized with a chelator, 3-hydroxy-4-pyridinonone and crosslinked with appropriate nm-sized ion clusters, for example composed of Fe3+/Tris or Al3+/Tris ion clusters. The charge selectivity of the shell permeability can be conveniently tuned with the crosslinking ion clusters. It is demonstrated that these capsules can be repeatedly loaded and unloaded with well-defined substances. This feature enables their application as re-usable selectively permeable filters to remove certain pollutants from solutions. These capsules are envisaged to be well-suited for waste water treatment and as picoliter-sized reaction vessels to selectively conduct chemical reactions within capsule cores while continuously supplying new reagents. The charge-selective permeability and the functionality of viscoelastic microcapsule shells can be tuned with the choice of ion/Tris clusters/nanoparticles used to crosslink 3-hydrox-4-pyridinone (HOPO)-functionalized surfactants.image

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Related concepts (32)
Potassium channel
Potassium channels are the most widely distributed type of ion channel found in virtually all organisms. They form potassium-selective pores that span cell membranes. Potassium channels are found in most cell types and control a wide variety of cell functions. Potassium channels function to conduct potassium ions down their electrochemical gradient, doing so both rapidly (up to the diffusion rate of K+ ions in bulk water) and selectively (excluding, most notably, sodium despite the sub-angstrom difference in ionic radius).
Semipermeable membrane
Semipermeable membrane is a type of biological or synthetic, polymeric membrane that will allow certain molecules or ions to pass through it by osmosis. The rate of passage depends on the pressure, concentration, and temperature of the molecules or solutes on either side, as well as the permeability of the membrane to each solute. Depending on the membrane and the solute, permeability may depend on solute size, solubility, properties, or chemistry. How the membrane is constructed to be selective in its permeability will determine the rate and the permeability.
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Wastewater treatment is a process which removes and eliminates contaminants from wastewater and converts this into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environment or is reused for various purposes (called water reclamation). The treatment process takes place in a wastewater treatment plant. There are several kinds of wastewater which are treated at the appropriate type of wastewater treatment plant.
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