Design and development of a particle factory based on stop-flow lithography process

将水和油溶液与两亲性颗粒简单混合，可以自发形成均匀的反应体积，这使得在单细胞和单分子分析以及药物发现领域的许多应用成为可能。制造这种两亲性粒子的方法才刚刚开始被研究。在这里，我们建议建立一个实验设施，称为粒子工厂（PARFACT），以制造同心两亲性颗粒，具有外疏水层和内亲水层，分别选择性地与油相和水相相互作用。该颗粒将通过具有同轴微流体通道的3D打印设备流动反应前驱体流，并通过光掩膜通过紫外线照射固化结构流来制造。然而，在这个短期的PARFACT项目中，首先，我们将专注于使用高分辨率双光子聚合技术的3D打印设备的设计，优化和制造。其次，采用计算机数控（CNC）技术设计和制造一种兼容的流体连接和紫外线曝光装置支架。第三，将设备与支架紧密固定在xy平台上，其中安装在垂直平移平台上的基于led的UV光源将用于通过支架中的UV窗口照射设备。所有的实验组件，包括泵，阀门和UV源，将使用输入/输出（I/O）模块以同步的方式连接。PARFACT项目的独特之处在于使用2PP技术来创建小型化的3D微通道（<100微米的间隙），这是传统3D打印技术难以形成的。该项目的最终目标是实现一个功能齐全的实验装置，准备通过3D打印的微流体装置流动/停止聚合物前体，并按需循环打开/关闭紫外线灯。在项目第一阶段完成后，我们将扩展到制造定制和工程颗粒，用于特定应用的均匀体积液滴形成。

Simple mixing of aqueous and oil solutions with amphiphilic particles leads to the spontaneous formation of uniform reaction volumes, which enable numerous applications in the field of single cell and single molecule analysis, and drug discovery. Approaches to manufacture such amphiphilic particles are just starting to be investigated. Here, we propose to establish an experimental facility, termed particle factory (PARFACT), to manufacture concentric amphiphilic particles, with outer hydrophobic and inner hydrophilic layers that selectively interact with the oil and aqueous phases, respectively. The particles will be fabricated by flowing reactive precursor streams through a 3D printed device with coaxial microfluidic channels, and curing the structured flow by UV exposure through a photomask. However, in this short-term PARFACT project, firstly, we will focus on the design, optimization and fabrication of the 3D printed device using a high resolution two photon polymerization technique. Secondly, a compatible device holder for fluidic connection and UV exposure will be designed and fabricated using a computer numerical control (CNC) technique. Thirdly, the device along with the holder will be tightly fixed on an XY-stage, where an LED-based UV source mounted on a vertical translational stage will be used to shine the device through a UV window in the holder. All the experimental components, including pumps, valves, and UV source, will be connected using an input/output (I/O) module in a synchronized manner. The unique aspect of the PARFACT project will be the use of a 2PP technique to create miniaturized 3D microchannels (<100 µm gaps), difficult to form using conventional 3D printing techniques. The end goal of this project will be to realize a fully functional experimental setup ready to flow/stop polymer precursors through the 3D printed microfluidic device, and turn on/off the UV light on demand in a cyclic manner. After the completion of this first phase of the project, we will expand on to fabricating customized and engineered particles for uniform volume droplet formations for specific applications.