Controlled drug delivery via remotely heated core-shell magnetic microcapsules

We report the development of magnetically-driven, 100μm in typical diameter, core-shell microcapsules for the on-demand and local delivery of encapsulated drug agents. These microcapsules are fabricated through a multi-stage microfluidic/optofluidic flow-focusing device with oil-based core and thermoresponsive polymer shell. In the prototype capsules, the shell structure is constructed by UV-curable polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) with embedded 20%w/w poly N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAm) nanogels and 0.5%w/w magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (10 nm in diameter). Experimentally, the releases of the oil fluorescent dye from the core of the capsules have been successfully demonstrated by remotely triggering the capsules with induction heating. As such, this drug delivery scheme could be useful for remotely-triggered, site-specific applications.