Assembly of biomimetic microreactors using caged-coacervate droplets

Complex coacervates are liquid-like droplets that can be used to create adaptive cell-like compartments. These compartments offer a versatile platform for the construction of bioreactors inspired by living cells. However, the lack of a membrane significantly reduces the colloidal stability of coacer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nanoscale 2023-02, Vol.15 (6), p.2561-2566
Main Authors: Jobdeedamrong, Arjaree, Cao, Shoupeng, Harley, Iain, Crespy, Daniel, Landfester, Katharina, Caire da Silva, Lucas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomimetics
Bioreactors
Compartments
Droplets
Microreactors
Nanocapsules
Silicon dioxide
Water
Wettability
Wetting
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Summary:Complex coacervates are liquid-like droplets that can be used to create adaptive cell-like compartments. These compartments offer a versatile platform for the construction of bioreactors inspired by living cells. However, the lack of a membrane significantly reduces the colloidal stability of coacervates in terms of fusion and surface wetting, which limits their suitability as compartments. Here, we describe the formation of caged-coacervates surrounded by a semipermeable shell of silica nanocapsules. We demonstrate that the silica nanocapsules create a protective shell that also regulates the molecular transport of water-soluble compounds as a function of nanocapasule size. The adjustable semipermeability and intrinsic affinity of enzymes for the interior of the caged-coacervates allowed us to assemble biomimetic microreactors with enhanced colloidal stability. Caged microreactors were constructed by Pickering stabilization of complex coacervate droplets with silica nanoparticles. The size of the nanoparticles determined the molecular transport into the microreactors.
ISSN:2040-3364
2040-3372
DOI:10.1039/d2nr05101j