Polymer network materials are interesting alternatives to thermoplastic polymers. Here, the preparation of polymer capsules is investigated, which are made from poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) networks and are compartmentalized in a crosslinked PCL shell and a core that is suitable to enclose payloads of interest. Aided by microfluidic templating, PCL network capsules with a narrow size distribution (176 ± 5 µm) and thin shells (≈7.5 µm) are formed from 4-arm star-shaped 12 kDa PCL precursors by photoinitiator-free UV light-induced radical polymerization of methacrylate end-groups. FITC-BSA is encapsulated as a model protein. The physicochemical characterization of the capsules indicated a partial crosslinking of methacrylate endgroups into netpoints. Microscopy revealed a fraction of collapsed capsules that are discussed in the context of network stability and mechanical stress created at the capsule interfaces during solvent removal. The incubation of particles with human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells showed good cell compatibility, suggesting their potential use in biosciences and beyond.

中文翻译：

---

载蛋白 PCL 微胶囊的微流控模板和无引发剂光交联

聚合物网络材料是热塑性聚合物的有趣替代品。在这里，研究了聚合物胶囊的制备，该胶囊由聚（ε-己内酯）（PCL）网络制成，并被划分在交联的 PCL 壳和适合封装感兴趣的有效负载的核心中。在微流体模板的帮助下，通过无光引发剂的紫外光诱导自由基聚合，由 4 臂星形 12 kDa PCL 前体形成具有窄尺寸分布 (176 ± 5 µm) 和薄壳 (≈7.5 µm) 的 PCL 网络胶囊甲基丙烯酸酯端基。FITC-BSA 被封装为模型蛋白。胶囊的物理化学特征表明甲基丙烯酸酯端基部分交联成网点。显微镜显示了一小部分塌陷的胶囊，我们在网络稳定性和溶剂去除过程中胶囊界面处产生的机械应力的背景下进行讨论。颗粒与人胚胎肾 (HEK) 细胞的孵育显示出良好的细胞相容性，表明它们在生物科学及其他领域的潜在用途。