Colloidosomes: Nanoparticle-Assembled Microcapsules with Selective Permeability

本课题的研究目标是制备具有选择性渗透性的稳定胶体体，以控制分子的释放。胶体体是由纳米颗粒外壳组成的微胶囊。胶体体相对于其他微胶囊（例如基于聚合物的）的优点是其易于调节的孔隙度和由许多不同类型的纳米颗粒制造胶体体的良好潜力。在这个项目中制备的胶体体将装载不同的分子，这些分子是不同类别的活性剂的例子（例如标准蛋白质，抗体，小分子）。此外，这些分子从胶体体的释放将被研究。因此，本项目主要由三个部分组成：第一部分是胶体的制备。胶体体的制备是基于纳米颗粒和脂质之间的特定相互作用，在乳液液滴的界面形成薄膜。界面剪切流变学将主要用于表征纳米颗粒和脂质在各自薄膜中的相互作用。通过更好地掌握乳液和平面界面中多组分薄膜的形成，我们希望生产出稳定的微胶囊，而无需聚合物等其他添加剂的帮助。在这些见解的基础上，有可能从纳米颗粒和脂质库中推导出制备稳定胶体体的设计规则。在项目的第二部分，分子被装载到胶体体中。分子装载和胶体体制备可以同时进行。由于这些分子在胶囊形成过程中存在，因此需要研究这些分子对薄膜形成、乳液稳定性和胶体体制备的所有其他方面的影响。同样，界面剪切流变学是这部分项目中最重要的表征方法。从我们的初步研究中可以看出，胶体体的负载不能与胶囊形成分开来理解，必须作为一个整体来研究。在项目的第三部分，将研究分子从胶体体中的释放。释放速率是胶体体的一个重要特征。它基于不同组分（纳米颗粒、脂质、分子）和孔径之间的相互作用。发布研究的新见解可以根据在项目前面部分建立的设计规则直接进行评估。

The goal of this research project is the preparation of stable colloidosomes with selective permeability for the controlled release of molecules. Colloidosomes are microcapsules that consist of a shell of nanoparticles. The advantages of colloidosomes over other microcapsules (e.g. based on polymers) are their easily tunable porosity and the promising potential to fabricate colloidosomes from many different types of nanoparticles.The colloidosomes that are prepared in this project are to be loaded with different molecules that are examples for different classes of active agents (e.g. standard proteins, antibodies, small molecules). Furthermore, the release of these molecules from the colloidosomes will be studied. Accordingly, the project is comprised of three parts:The first part of the project focuses on the preparation of the colloidosomes. Colloidosome preparation is based on specific interactions between nanoparticles and lipids during the formation of thin films at the interfaces of emulsion droplets. Interfacial shear rheology will be predominately used to characterize the interactions between nanoparticles and lipids in the respective thin films. Through a better grasp of the formation of multicomponent films in emulsions and on planar interfaces we want to produce stable microcapsules without the help of further additives like polymers. On the basis of these insights, it is possible to derive design rules for the preparation of stable colloidosomes from a library of nanoparticles and lipids.In the second part of the project, molecules are loaded into the colloidosomes. Molecule loading and colloidosome preparation can proceed simultaneously. Since the molecules are present during capsule formation, the influence of the molecules on thin film formation, emulsion stability and all other aspects of colloidosome preparation needs to be studied. Again, interfacial shear rheology is the most important characterization method in this part of the project. As could be demonstrated in our preliminary research, loading of the colloidosomes cannot be understood separately from capsule formation and has to be studied as a whole.In the third part of the project, the release of the molecules from the colloidosomes will be studied. The release rate is an important feature of the colloidosomes. It is based on the interactions between the different components (nanoparticles, lipids, molecules) and the pore size. New insights from the release studies can be directly evaluated in light of the design-rules that have been established in the preceding parts of the project.