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AssigneesUniversite Technologie De Compiegne—UTC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
InventorsEric Leclerc, Anne-Virginie Salsac, Dominique Barthes-Biesel, Thi Xuan Chu
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The present invention relates to a method for producing microcapsules having a calibrated diameter and at least one parameter characteristic of the mechanical properties of an equally calibrated microcapsule, characterized in that the method includes the steps of: producing microcapsules by means of injection into a microsystem (10) of three fluids (f1, f2, f3); deforming the microcapsules by means generating a flow within a capillary tube (20); observing and acquiring the outline of at least one deformed microcapsule observed by an optical acquisition means (30); comparing the acquired outline with outlines from a collection of reference microcapsule outlines; determining the diameter and said at least one parameter characteristic of the mechanical properties of the observed microcapsule; and modifying the flow rates (Q1, Q2, and/or Q3) of the fluids (f1, f2, f3). The present invention also relates to a system for producing calibrated microcapsules.
Method for producing microcapsules having a calibrated diameter and at least one calibrated parameter characteristic of the mechanical properties of a microcapsule, method characterised in that it includes the steps of:
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said predetermined threshold is 10% for the difference between the diameter of the determined observed microcapsule and the optimal diameter, and 30% for the difference between the determined value of the at least one parameter characteristic of the mechanical properties of the observed microcapsule and the optimal value of the at least one parameter characteristic of the mechanical properties of a microcapsule.
Method according to one of the preceding to claims, wherein the microsystem (10) comprises a central microchannel (11), a first set of lateral microchannels (12) and a second set of lateral microchannels (13), the first fluid (f1) being injected into the central microchannel (11), the second fluid (f2) being injected into the first set of lateral microchannels (12), the third fluid (f3) being injected into the second set of lateral microchannels (13).
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second non miscible fluid (f2) is a biocompatible fatty ester.
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the precursor of the microcapsule membrane contained in the third fluid (f3) is a cross-linking agent.
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the microsystem (10) is made of transparent solidified polydimethylsiloxane.
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the capillary (20) is a glass tube of cylindrical section.
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a reservoir (21) for storing microcapsules is placed at the output of the capillary (20).
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the step of acquiring the outline of at least one deformed microcapsule comprises the taking of at least one photograph of said microcapsule by the optical acquisition means (30), the acquired outline being constituted of a plurality of points materialising the membrane of the microcapsule placed on said photograph by the data processing means (40).
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the optical acquisition means (30) comprise an inverted microscope and a high speed CCD camera.
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the outline acquisition step is implemented for each microcapsule produced by the microsystem (10).
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the outlines of the reference microcapsules are outlines acquired beforehand by the optical acquisition means (30), the reference microcapsules being deformed by means generating a flow within the capillary (20).
System of producing calibrated microcapsules, characterised in that it comprises:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.