Patent ID: 8187708
Filing Date: 2012-05-29
Classification: A61K,B01J,B82Y,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of controlling the morphology of a multiphasic micro-component comprising: providing a first liquid stream having a first electrical conductivity comprising a first polyelectrolyte and a second liquid stream having a second electrical conductivity comprising a second polyelectrolyte, wherein said first polyelectrolyte and said second polyelectrolyte are independently selected from the group consisting of: polyacrylic acid (PAA), poly(acrylamide acrylic acid (PAAm), and/or poly(acryl amide-co-acrylic acid) (PAAm-AA), sodium polystyrene sulfonate (PSS), polyethylene imine (PEI), polypeptides, copolymers, and combinations thereof, wherein said first electrical conductivity and said second electrical conductivity are selected to create a predetermined phase orientation in a solid micro-component; and exposing at least a portion of said first liquid stream and at least a portion of said second stream to an electric force field sufficient to form the solid micro-component comprising a first phase and a second distinct phase, wherein said first phase comprises material from said first liquid stream so that said first phase is hydrophilic and said second phase comprises material from said second liquid stream so that said second phase is hydrophilic, such that said first phase and said second phase are compositionally distinct from one another; applying energy to cure said first polyelectrolyte and said second polyelectrolyte, so that the predetermined phase orientation in the solid micro-component is formed and the solid micro-component comprises a cross-linked first hydrophilic phase and a second cross-linked hydrophilic phase.