FLUORINATED PICKERING EMULSION

• US 20160114325A1
• Filed: 10/23/2015
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford Management Co.), The Governors of the University of Alberta (University of Alberta)
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford Management Co.), The Governors of the University of Alberta (University of Alberta)
• Inventors: Derda, Ratmir, Tang, Sindy, Pan, Ming, Lyu, Fengjiao
• Granted Patent: US 11,135,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0615 Loss of fluid by dripping
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0647 Handling flowable solids, e.g. microscopic beads, cells, particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0668 Trapping microscopic beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/16 Reagents, handling or storing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/165 Specific details about hydrophobic, oleophobic surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502761 specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads, for physically stretching molecules investigating characteristics of particles G01N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502769 characterised by multiphase flow arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502784 specially adapted for droplet or plug flow, e.g. digital microfluidics automatic analysis using a stream of discrete samples in a tube system G01N35/08
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 33/18 Preparation of finely divided silica neither in sol nor in gel form; After-treatment thereof preparation of aerogels by dehydrating gels C01B33/158; treatment to enhance the pigmenting or filling properties C09C
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2004/62 Submicrometer sized, i.e. from 0.1-1 micrometer
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2004/64 Nanometer sized, i.e. from 1-100 nanometer
• CPC Class Codes: C07F 7/081 comprising at least one atom selected from the elements N, O, halogen, S, Se or Te
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/18 Testing for antimicrobial activity of a material
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1404 Handling flow, e.g. hydrodynamic focusing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1484 microstructural devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1006 for cytology

Abstract

Described here is a composition comprising amphiphilic silica nanoparticles, wherein the silica nanoparticles are partially fluorinated. Also described here is a method for droplet-based assay, comprising dispersing at least one aqueous droplet in a continuous fluorous phase in a microfluidic channel, wherein at least one amphiphilic silica nanoparticle is absorbed to the interface of the continuous fluorous phase and the aqueous droplet, and wherein the silica nanoparticle is partially fluorinated. Further described here is a method for droplet-based assay, comprising dispersing at least one aqueous phase droplet in a continuous fluorous phase in a microfluidic channel, wherein the continuous fluorous phase comprises at least one partially fluorinated amphiphilic particle adsorbed to an interface of the continuous fluorous phase and the aqueous phase droplet, and wherein the aqueous phase droplet comprises at least one hydrophilic polymer adsorbed to the amphiphilic particle at the interface.

Claims

1. A composition comprising at least one amphiphilic nanoparticle, wherein the nanoparticle is partially fluorinated, and wherein the nanoparticle has a contact angle θ

of 90°

to 135°

when placed at an interface of a fluorous phase and an aqueous phase.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the nanoparticle is a silica nanoparticle.

3. The composition of claim 2, wherein the silica nanoparticle has at least one lateral dimension of 10-950 nm.

4. The composition of claim 2, wherein the silica nanoparticle comprises fluorinated alkyl groups on the surface.

5. The composition of claim 2, wherein the silica nanoparticle is partially derivatized with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (FAS) on the surface.

6. The composition of claim 2, comprising a fluorous phase comprising at least one fluorinated solvent, wherein the silica nanoparticle is dispersed in the fluorinated solvent.

7. The composition of claim 2, comprising a fluorous phase comprising at least one fluorinated solvent and an aqueous phase, wherein the silica nanoparticle is absorbed to the interface of the fluorous phase and the aqueous phase.

8. The composition of claim 7, comprising an emulsion comprising (a) a continuous fluorous phase, and (b) at least one aqueous phase droplet dispersed in said continuous fluorous phase.

9. The composition of claim 7, wherein the fluorous phase comprises at least one of HFE-7500, FC-40, and PFMD.

10. The composition of claim 7, wherein the aqueous phase comprises at least one fluorescent molecule.

11. The composition of claim 7, wherein the aqueous phase comprises at least one cell.

12. The composition of claim 7, wherein the aqueous phase comprises at least one cell anchored to the silica nanoparticle at the interface of the fluorous phase and the aqueous phase.

13. A droplet microfluidic device comprising the composition of claim 1.

14. A method for droplet-based assay, comprising dispersing at least one aqueous phase droplet in a continuous fluorous phase in a microfluidic channel, wherein at least one amphiphilic nanoparticle is absorbed to the interface of the continuous fluorous phase and the aqueous phase droplet, and wherein the nanoparticle is partially fluorinated.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the aqueous phase droplet comprises yeasts and/or bacteria, and wherein the method comprises fermenting the yeasts and/or bacteria in the aqueous phase.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the aqueous phase droplet comprises at least one cell and at least one antibiotic, and wherein the method comprises detecting the cell'"'"'s antibiotic resistance.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the aqueous phase droplet comprises at least one cell and at least one drug, and wherein the method comprises detecting the cell'"'"'s response to the drug.

18. A method for droplet-based assay, comprising dispersing at least one aqueous phase droplet in a continuous fluorous phase in a microfluidic channel, wherein the continuous fluorous phase comprises at least one partially fluorinated amphiphilic particle adsorbed to an interface of the continuous fluorous phase and the aqueous phase droplet, and wherein:

(a) the aqueous phase droplet comprises at least one hydrophilic polymer adsorbed to the amphiphilic particle at the interface or (b) the amphiphilic particle is covalently grafted with at least one hydrophilic polymer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the aqueous phase droplet comprises at least one hydrophilic polymer adsorbed to the amphiphilic particle at the interface.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the hydrophilic polymer comprises at least one of polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyethers, polyacrylamide (PAM), polyethylenimine (PEI), poly(acrylic acid), polymethacrylate, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP).

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the amphiphilic particle is a nanoparticle or a microparticle.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the amphiphilic particle is a silica particle.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the amphiphilic particle is functionalized with fluorinated alkyl groups on the surface.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the fluorous phase further comprises at least one fluorinated solvent.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the fluorous phase comprises at least one of HFE-7500, HFE-7600, FC-40, and PFMD.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the aqueous phase further comprises at least one protein selected from the group consisting of enzymes, antibodies, hormones, structural proteins, and membrane proteins.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the aqueous phase further comprises at least one fluorescent molecule.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein the amphiphilic particle is a silica nanoparticle, wherein the hydrophilic polymer comprises polyethylene glycol (PEG), and wherein the aqueous phase comprises at least one enzyme.

29. A Pickering emulsion comprising a continuous fluorous phase and at least one aqueous phase droplet dispersed therein, wherein the continuous fluorous phase comprises at least one partially fluorinated amphiphilic particle adsorbed to an interface of the continuous fluorous phase and the aqueous phase droplet, and wherein:

(a) the aqueous phase droplet comprises at least one hydrophilic polymer adsorbed to the amphiphilic particle at the interface or (b) the amphiphilic particle is covalently grafted with at least one hydrophilic polymer.