Hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device and method based on phase interface traction
Through the hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction, controllable microdroplets are formed by traction of interfacial tension, which solves the problems of high production cost of microspheres, poor particle size uniformity and short equipment life in the prior art, and achieves efficient and controllable small-volume production.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510411137.4
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-02
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-13
AI Technical Summary
Existing microsphere manufacturing methods, such as droplet microfluidic control method, mechanical emulsification method and electrostatic method, have problems such as high production costs, poor uniformity of microspheres, short equipment life and easy blockage of pipe lines, making it difficult to achieve efficient and controllable small-volume production.
A hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction is adopted. The device uses the coordination of the transmission mechanism and the support mechanism to traction by interface tension to form micro droplets of controllable size under mild conditions. The production speed is determined by the speed of the stepper motor and the area of the receiving tank, and the oil phase can be used repeatedly.
It realizes the formation of micro droplets of controllable size under mild conditions, the production efficiency is higher than that of common microsphere production methods, and the oil phase can be reused, avoiding the problems of short equipment life and easy blockage of pipe lines.
Smart Images
Figure CN119971940A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of gel material preparation, and in particular to a device and method for manufacturing hydrogel microspheres based on phase interface traction. Background Art
[0002] Droplet microfluidics, mechanical emulsification and electrostatic methods are currently commonly used methods for making droplets. Droplet microfluidics and mechanical emulsification require a large amount of oil phase and emulsifier, and the microsphere curing and washing steps are cumbersome and the production cost is high. In addition, the service life of the microfluidic chip is short, and the pipeline is easily clogged, which affects production efficiency. The high-voltage electrostatic method is suitable for batch production of microspheres with a particle size of not less than 500μm, but the electrostatic force on the droplets is difficult to accurately control, and small-volume droplets cannot be stably produced. The uniformity of the particle size of the solidified microspheres is poor. This type of method is limited by the viscosity of the aqueous precursor liquid, and it is difficult to predict the size of the microspheres, and the production parameters need to be repeatedly adjusted. Summary of the invention
[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device and method based on phase interface traction, which is different from the high-speed flowing oil phase of the droplet microfluidics method. The focus is on the reciprocating motion of the pipeline. The traction of the interfacial tension is used to form micro droplets of controllable size under mild conditions. The production speed depends on the speed of the stepper motor and the area of the receiving pool. The oil phase can be reused and the efficiency is higher than that of the common microsphere production method.
[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction, including a transmission mechanism and a support mechanism, the transmission mechanism and the support mechanism are connected, the transmission mechanism includes a connecting rod assembly and a power assembly, and the support mechanism includes a first support assembly and a second support assembly.
[0005] Preferably, the connecting rod assembly includes a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod, the first connecting rod has a first slot at the upper end, and the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the lower end, the second connecting rod has a second slot at the upper end, the first connecting rod is placed in the second slot and rotatably connected to the second slot, and the second connecting rod has a third slot at the lower end.
[0006] Preferably, the power assembly includes a stepper motor, the output shaft of the stepper motor is fixedly connected to the driving wheel, a second connecting rod is connected to the driving wheel, the driving wheel is connected to the first connecting rod through the second connecting rod, the second connecting rod is rotatably connected to the second connecting rod, and the second connecting rod is placed in the first slot.
[0007] Preferably, the first supporting assembly includes a base, the base is fixedly connected to the supporting frame, a slide rail is fixedly connected to the base, the second connecting rod is placed in the fourth slot of the slide rail and is slidably connected to the slide rail, and a stepper motor is fixedly installed on the supporting frame.
[0008] Preferably, a needle tube holder is fixedly connected in the third card slot, a needle tube is fixedly placed in the middle of the needle tube holder, a hose is connected to the top of the needle tube, and the hose is connected to the injection pump.
[0009] Preferably, a receiving pool is installed below the needle tube, and the receiving pool contains an oil phase.
[0010] The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing hydrogel microspheres based on phase interface traction, using the above-mentioned device for manufacturing hydrogel microspheres based on phase interface traction, comprising the following steps:
[0011] Step 1: Install the device and place the oil phase at the lower end of the needle tube;
[0012] Step 2: Start the stepper motor and the injection pump. The stepper motor drives the driving wheel to rotate. The driving wheel drives the first connecting rod to move up and down. The first connecting rod drives the second connecting rod to move up and down. The second connecting rod drives the needle tube bracket to move up and down. The needle tube bracket drives the needle tube to move up and down.
[0013] Step 3: The injection pump pushes the hydrogel precursor at a constant speed. When the syringe moves up and down, the needle of the syringe enters and exits the oil phase. The hydrogel precursor squeezed out of the syringe nozzle is pulled by the interfacial tension to form a microdroplet that remains in the oil phase and becomes a hydrogel microsphere through ion or light curing when falling.
[0014] Preferably, in step 2, the motor speed is 89-200 rpm, and the injection pump speed is 0.22-0.89 μL / s.
[0015] Preferably, the hydrogel precursor solution in step three is a substance having gel properties containing sodium alginate, gelatin and acrylamide, and the density of the hydrogel precursor solution is greater than the density of the oil phase and is immiscible with the oil phase.
[0016] Therefore, the present invention adopts the above-mentioned hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device and method based on phase interface traction, which is different from the high-speed flowing oil phase of the droplet microfluidics method. The focus is on the reciprocating motion of the pipeline, and the traction of the interfacial tension is used to form microdroplets of controllable size under mild conditions. The production speed depends on the speed of the stepper motor and the area of the receiving pool. The oil phase can be reused, and the efficiency is higher than the common microsphere production method.
[0017] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction of the present invention;
[0019] Figure 2It is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device and method based on phase interface traction of the present invention;
[0020] Figure 3 This is an enlarged view of the hydrogel microspheres prepared in Example 1 of the device and method for manufacturing hydrogel microspheres based on phase interface traction of the present invention.
[0021] Reference numerals
[0022] 1. First connecting rod; 2. Second connecting rod; 3. Base; 4. Support frame; 5. Slide rail; 6. Needle tube bracket; 7. Needle tube; 8. Driving wheel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below through the accompanying drawings and embodiments.
[0024] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present invention should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present invention belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. "Include" or "comprise" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.
[0025] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction, including a transmission mechanism and a support mechanism, the transmission mechanism and the support mechanism are connected, the transmission mechanism includes a connecting rod assembly and a power assembly, and the support mechanism includes a first support assembly and a second support assembly. The connecting rod assembly is used to transmit the power of the power assembly to the needle tube 7, thereby driving the needle tube 7 to move up and down, and the first support assembly and the second support assembly are used to support the connecting rod assembly and the power assembly.
[0026] The connecting rod assembly includes a first connecting rod 1 and a second connecting rod 2. The first connecting rod 1 and the second connecting rod 2 are used to play a transmission role, driving the needle tube 7 to move up and down. The first connecting rod 1 has a first slot at the upper end, and the lower end is fixedly connected to the first connecting rod. The second connecting rod 2 has a second slot at the upper end, so that the first connecting rod 1 and the second connecting rod 2 can rotate relative to each other, and the transmission of the up and down movement is achieved under the drive of the driving wheel 8. It is a key connecting component to achieve mechanical movement. The first connecting rod is placed in the second slot and is rotatably connected to the second slot. The lower end of the second connecting rod 2 has a third slot, which is used to fix the needle tube bracket 6, and transmit the up and down movement of the connecting rod to the needle tube bracket 6, thereby driving the needle tube 7 to move up and down.
[0027] The power assembly includes a stepper motor, which is used to provide a power source. The output shaft of the stepper motor is fixedly connected to the driving wheel 8. The stepper motor drives the driving wheel 8 to rotate through the rotation of the output shaft, and is the power core of the entire device. The driving wheel 8 is connected to a second connecting rod, and the driving wheel 8 is connected to the first connecting rod 1 through the second connecting rod. The second connecting rod 2 is rotatably connected to the second connecting rod, and the second connecting rod is placed in the first slot.
[0028] When the driving wheel 8 rotates, it will drive the second connecting rod to rotate around the center of the driving wheel 8. The first connecting rod 1 will move up and down under the connecting action of the second connecting rod, and at the same time, it will swing left and right. However, the second connecting rod 2 and the first connecting rod 1 are rotatably connected through the first connecting rod, and the second connecting rod 2 is under the control of the slide rail 5, so that the second connecting rod 2 can only move up and down and will not swing left and right with the first connecting rod 1.
[0029] The first support assembly includes a base 3, the base 3 is fixedly connected to a support frame 4, a slide rail 5 is fixedly connected to the base 3, the second connecting rod 2 is placed in a fourth slot of the slide rail 5 and is slidably connected to the slide rail 5, and a stepper motor is fixedly installed on the support frame 4. The support frame 4 is used to support the stepper motor, and the base 3 is used to provide an installation position for the slide rail 5.
[0030] The third slot is fixedly connected with a needle tube support 6, and a needle tube 7 is fixedly placed in the middle of the needle tube support 6, and the up and down movement of the second connecting rod 2 is transmitted to the needle tube 7, so that the needle tube 7 can move up and down. The needle tube 7 is used to store and squeeze out the hydrogel precursor solution pushed by the injection pump, and when it moves up and down, the needle enters and exits the oil phase, and the extrusion of the hydrogel precursor solution and the formation of micro-droplets are realized. The top of the needle tube 7 is connected with a hose, and the hose is used to transmit the hydrogel precursor solution, so that the injection pump can push the hydrogel precursor solution into the needle tube 7. The hose is connected to the injection pump, and the injection pump pushes the hydrogel precursor solution at a constant speed, which provides stable power for the extrusion of the hydrogel precursor solution, and ensures that the hydrogel precursor solution is extruded at a uniform speed to form micro-droplets. A receiving pool is installed below the needle tube 7, and the receiving pool contains the oil phase. The receiving pool is used to receive the microdroplets formed by the hydrogel precursor liquid squeezed out from the needle tube 7, and provide a phase interface environment so that the microdroplets are pulled by the interfacial tension in the oil phase to form microdroplets, and are transformed into hydrogel microspheres through ion or light curing during the falling process.
[0031] There are no special requirements for the extrusion speed of the injection pump and the speed of the stepper motor, and there are no special requirements for the material of the device.
[0032] like Figure 2 As shown, the present invention also provides a method for manufacturing hydrogel microspheres based on phase interface traction, using the above-mentioned device for manufacturing hydrogel microspheres based on phase interface traction, comprising the following steps:
[0033] Step 1: Install the device and place the oil phase at the lower end of the needle tube 7;
[0034] Step 2, start the stepper motor and the injection pump, the stepper motor drives the driving wheel 8 to rotate, the driving wheel 8 drives the first connecting rod 1 to move up and down, the first connecting rod 1 drives the second connecting rod 2 to move up and down, the second connecting rod 2 drives the needle tube bracket 6 to move up and down, and the needle tube bracket 6 drives the needle tube 7 to move up and down; wherein, the motor speed is 89-200rpm, and the injection pump speed is 0.22-0.89μL / s.
[0035] Step 3: The injection pump pushes the hydrogel precursor at a constant speed. When the needle tube 7 moves up and down, the needle of the needle tube 7 enters and exits the oil phase. The hydrogel precursor squeezed out of the tube mouth is pulled by the interfacial tension to form a micro droplet that remains in the oil phase and becomes a hydrogel microsphere through ion or light curing when falling.
[0036] In step 3, the hydrogel precursor liquid is a substance with gel properties containing sodium alginate, gelatin, and acrylamide, and the density of the hydrogel precursor liquid is greater than the density of the oil phase, and the hydrogel precursor liquid is immiscible with the oil phase, and the oil phase can be any low-viscosity liquid.
[0037] Example 1
[0038] The present invention provides a method for manufacturing hydrogel microspheres based on phase interface traction, using the above-mentioned device for manufacturing hydrogel microspheres based on phase interface traction, comprising the following steps:
[0039] Step 1: Install the device and place the oil phase at the lower end of the needle tube 7, wherein the stepper motor is a 42 stepper motor, and the remaining structures are prepared using a 3D printer (Phrozen Sonic Mini S) and a light-curing resin (Jinchao MD5100);
[0040] Step 2, start the stepper motor and the injection pump, the speed of the stepper motor is 530rpm, the stepper motor drives the driving wheel 8 to rotate, the driving wheel 8 drives the first connecting rod 1 to move up and down, the first connecting rod 1 drives the second connecting rod 2 to move up and down, the second connecting rod 2 drives the needle tube bracket 6 to move up and down, and the needle tube bracket 6 drives the needle tube 7 to move up and down;
[0041] Step 3, the injection pump pushes the hydrogel precursor solution, and when the needle tube 7 moves up and down, the needle of the needle tube 7 enters and exits the oil phase, and the hydrogel precursor solution squeezed out of the needle tube 7 is pulled by the interfacial tension to form a micro droplet that remains in the oil phase, and is converted into hydrogel microspheres by ion or light curing when falling, wherein the oil phase is liquid paraffin (Article No. S68179, Shanghai Yuanye Biotechnology Co., Ltd.), the lower coagulation bath is a 2.5% CaCl2 aqueous solution, and the hydrogel precursor solution is a 3% pectin (30% esterification degree apple peel pectin, Yantai Andre Pectin Co., Ltd.) aqueous solution, and the hydrogel microspheres with a diameter of 600 μm are stably and continuously produced, such as Figure 3 As shown, the common hidden dangers of liquid leakage, pipeline blockage or droplet fusion in droplet microfluidics technology are avoided.
[0042] The size of the microspheres was controlled by the syringe pump speed and the stepper motor speed. When the pump speed was fixed at 0.4 μL / s, the speed was modified to 89 rpm to obtain microspheres with a diameter of 800 μm, the speed was 133 rpm to obtain microspheres with a diameter of 700 μm, the speed was 210 rpm to obtain microspheres with a diameter of 600 μm, and the speed was 363 rpm to obtain microspheres with a diameter of 500 μm. When the speed was fixed at 200 rpm, the pump speed was 0.89 μL / s to obtain microspheres with a diameter of 800 μm, the pump speed was 0.60 μL / s to obtain microspheres with a diameter of 700 μm, the pump speed was 0.38 μL / s to obtain microspheres with a diameter of 600 μm, and the pump speed was 0.22 μL / s to obtain microspheres with a diameter of 500 μm.
[0043] Compared with droplet microfluidics and electrostatic methods for manufacturing microdroplets, the present invention does not require repeated adjustment of parameters such as the oil-water phase pump speed or the electrostatic field strength through microscopic observation, does not rely on fluid mechanics empirical formulas to predict the droplet morphology, and can accurately control the final particle size of the product only through the injection pump / peristaltic pump / pneumatic pump speed and motor speed.
[0044] Therefore, the present invention adopts the above-mentioned hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device and method based on phase interface traction, which is different from the high-speed flowing oil phase of the droplet microfluidics method. The focus is on the reciprocating motion of the pipeline, and the traction of the interfacial tension is used to form microdroplets of controllable size under mild conditions. The production speed depends on the speed of the stepper motor and the area of the receiving pool. The oil phase can be reused, and the efficiency is higher than the common microsphere production method.
[0045] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify or replace the technical solution of the present invention with equivalents, and these modifications or equivalent replacements cannot cause the modified technical solution to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention.
Claims
1. A hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction, characterized in that: It includes a transmission mechanism and a supporting mechanism, which are connected to each other. The transmission mechanism includes a connecting rod assembly and a power assembly, and the supporting mechanism includes a first supporting assembly and a second supporting assembly.
2. The hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting rod assembly includes a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod. The first connecting rod has a first slot on its upper end and a first connecting rod fixedly connected to its lower end. The second connecting rod has a second slot on its upper end. The first connecting rod is placed in the second slot and is rotatably connected to the second slot. The second connecting rod has a third slot on its lower end.
3. The hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power assembly includes a stepper motor, the output shaft of the stepper motor is fixedly connected to the driving wheel, the driving wheel is connected to a second connecting rod, the driving wheel is connected to the first connecting rod through the second connecting rod, the second connecting rod is rotatably connected to the second connecting rod, and the second connecting rod is placed in the first slot.
4. The hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first supporting assembly includes a base, which is fixedly connected to the supporting frame, a slide rail is fixedly connected to the base, the second connecting rod is placed in the fourth slot of the slide rail and is slidably connected to the slide rail, and a stepping motor is fixedly installed on the supporting frame.
5. The hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction according to claim 2, characterized in that: A needle tube bracket is fixedly connected in the third card slot, a needle tube is fixedly placed in the middle of the needle tube bracket, a hose is connected to the top of the needle tube, and the hose is connected to the injection pump.
6. The hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction according to claim 5, characterized in that: A receiving pool is installed below the needle tube, and the receiving pool contains an oil phase.
7. A method for preparing hydrogel microspheres based on phase interface traction, characterized in that: The hydrogel microsphere manufacturing device based on phase interface traction according to any one of claims 1 to 6 comprises the following steps: Step 1: Install the device and place the oil phase at the lower end of the needle tube; Step 2: Start the stepper motor and the injection pump. The stepper motor drives the driving wheel to rotate. The driving wheel drives the first connecting rod to move up and down. The first connecting rod drives the second connecting rod to move up and down. The second connecting rod drives the needle tube bracket to move up and down. The needle tube bracket drives the needle tube to move up and down. Step 3: The injection pump pushes the hydrogel precursor at a constant speed. When the syringe moves up and down, the needle of the syringe enters and exits the oil phase. The hydrogel precursor squeezed out of the syringe nozzle is pulled by the interfacial tension to form a microdroplet that remains in the oil phase and becomes a hydrogel microsphere through ion or light curing when falling.
8. The method for preparing hydrogel microspheres based on phase interface traction according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step 2, the motor speed is 89-200 rpm, and the injection pump speed is 0.22-0.89 μL / s.
9. The method for preparing hydrogel microspheres based on phase interface traction according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step 3, the hydrogel precursor solution is a substance with gel properties containing sodium alginate, gelatin, and acrylamide, and the density of the hydrogel precursor solution is greater than the density of the oil phase, and the hydrogel precursor solution is immiscible with the oil phase.