Ting Si

Coaxial electrospray of microparticles and nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Coaxial electrospray is an electrohydrodynamic process that produces multilayer microparticles and nanoparticles by introducing coaxial electrified jets. In comparison with other microencapsulation/nanoencapsulation processes, coaxial electrospray has several potential advantages such as high encapsulation efficiency, effective protection of bioactivity and uniform size distribution. However, process control in coaxial electrospray is challenged by the multiphysical nature of the process and the complex interplay of multiple design, process and material parameters. This paper reviews the previous works and the recent advances in design, modeling and control of a coaxial electrospray process. The review intends to provide general guidance for coaxial electrospray and stimulate further research and development interests in this promising microencapsulation/nanoencapsulation process.

Modes in flow focusing and instability of coaxial liquid―gas jets

Six flow modes are distinguished in the flow-focusing experiments of a liquid jet forced by a high-speed air stream. The domains of the modes are identified on the parameter space of the liquid flow rate Q 1 and the gas pressure drop Δp g . The disturbance wavelength and breakup length L of the jet are also measured. A theoretical model considering axisymmetric disturbances is proposed, and a basic velocity profile of hyperbolic-tangent function is utilized. The linear temporal and spatio-temporal instability analyses are carried out using the Chebyshev collocation method. The effects of the flow parameters and the velocity profile on the flow instability are discussed. The temporal instability analysis demonstrates that the interfacial shear causes the instability of short waves and retards the instability of long waves. Moreover, the spatio-temporal instability analysis gives the transition boundary between the absolute and convective instability (AI/CI). The most unstable wavelength predicted by the temporal instability analysis and the AI/CI boundary predicted by the spatio-temporal instability analysis are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Parametric study of cylindrical converging shock waves generated based on shock dynamics theory

In our previous work, the technique of generating cylindrical converging shock waves based on shock dynamics theory was proposed. In the present work, a further study is carried out to assess the influence of several parameters including the converging angle θ0, the incident planar shock Mach number M0, and the shock tube height h on the wall profile and the converging shock wave. Combining the high-speed schlieren photography and the numerical simulation with the shock dynamics theory, the characteristics of wall profiles, cylindrical converging shock waves, and thermodynamic properties for different controllable parameters are analyzed. It is found that these parameters have great effects on shapes of the wall profile and experimental investigation favors large values of M0 and h and moderate θ0. The experimental sequences of schlieren images indicate that the shocks moving in the converging part are of circular shapes, which further verifies the method in our previous work. In addition, the changes of ...

Experimental investigation of reshocked spherical gas interfaces

The evolution of a spherical gas interface under reshock conditions is experimentally studied using the high-speed schlieren photography with high time resolutions. A number of experimental sets of helium or SF6 bubble surrounded by air for seven different end wall distances have been performed. Distinct flow structures are observed due to the additional vorticity and wave configuration caused by the reshock. In the air/helium case, the deformation of the reshocked bubble is dependent on the development of the penetrating air jet along the symmetry axis of the bubble. In general, two separate vortex rings can be observed, i.e., one develops slowly, and the other approaches and eventually impinges on the shock tube end wall. In the air/SF6 case, two SF6 jets moving in opposite directions are generated and the oscillation of the interface is observed for small end wall distances, while small scale vortex morphologies on the gas interface are found for large end wall distances. The physical mechanisms of the...

Experimental study of Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in a cylindrical converging shock tube

The interaction of a cylindrical converging shock wave with an initially perturbed gaseous interface is studied experimentally. The cylindrical converging shock is generated in an ordinary shock tube but with a specially designed test section, in which the incident planar shock wave is directly converted into a cylindrical one. Two kinds of typical initial interfaces involving gas bubble and gas cylinder are employed. A high-speed video camera combined with schlieren or planar Mie scattering photography is utilized to capture the evolution process of flow structures. The distribution of baroclinic vorticity on the interface induced by the cylindrical shock and the reflected shock from the center of convergence results in distinct phenomena. In the gas bubble case, the shock focusing and the jet formation are observed and the turbulent mixing of two fluids is promoted because of the gradually changed shock strength and complex shock structures in the converging part. In the gas cylinder case, a counter-rotating vortex pair is formed after the impact of the converging shock and its rotating direction may be changed when interacting with the reflected shock for a relatively long reflection distance. The variations of the interface displacements and structural dimensions with time are further measured. It is found that these quantities are different from those in the planar counterpart because of the shock curvature, the Mach number effect and the complex shock reflection within the converging shock tube test section. Therefore, the experiments reported here exhibit the great potential of this experimental method in study of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability induced by converging shock waves.

A cylindrical converging shock tube for shock-interface studies

A shock tube facility for generating a cylindrical converging shock wave is developed in this work. Based on the shock dynamics theory, a specific wall profile is designed for the test section of the shock tube to transfer a planar shock into a cylindrical one. The shock front in the converging part obtained from experiment presents a perfect circular shape, which proves the feasibility and reliability of the method. The time variations of the shock strength obtained from numerical simulation, experiment, and theoretical estimation show the desired converging effect in the shock tube test section. Particular emphasis is then placed on the problem of shock-interface interaction induced by cylindrical converging shock waves. For this purpose, membrane-less gas cylinder is adopted to form the interface between two different fluids while the laser sheet technique to visualize the flow field. The result shows that it is convenient to perform such experiments in this facility.

Coaxial Electrospray of Curcumin-Loaded Microparticles for Sustained Drug Release

Curcumin exhibits superior anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and analgesic activities without significant side effects. However, clinical dissemination of this natural medicine is limited by its low solubility and poor bio-availability. To overcome this limitation, we propose to encapsulate curcumin in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles (MPs) by an improved coaxial electrospray (CES) process. This process is able to generate a stable cone-jet mode in a wide range of operation parameters in order to produce curcumin-loaded PLGA MPs with a clear core-shell structure and a designated size of several micrometers. In order to optimize the process outcome, the effects of primary operation parameters such as the applied electric voltages and the liquid flow rates are studied systemically. In vitro drug release experiments are also carried out for the CES-produced MPs in comparison with those by a single axial electrospray process. Our experimental results show that the CES process can be effectively controlled to encapsulate drugs of low aqueous solubility for high encapsulation efficiency and optimal drug release profiles.

Ultrasound mediated destruction of multifunctional microbubbles for image guided delivery of oxygen and drugs

We synthesized multifunctional activatible microbubbles (MAMs) for ultrasound mediated delivery of oxygen and drugs with both ultrasound and fluorescence imaging guidance. Oxygen enriched perfluorocarbon (PFC) compound was encapsulated in liposome microbubbles (MBs) by a modified emulsification process. DiI dye was loaded as a model drug. The ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) process was guided by both ultrasonography and fluorescence imaging modalities. The process was validated in both a dialysis membrane tube model and a porcine carotid artery model. Our experiment results show that the UTMD process effectively facilitates the controlled delivery of oxygen and drug at the disease site and that the MAM agent enables ultrasound and fluorescence imaging guidance of the UTMD process. The proposed MAM agent can be potentially used for UTMD-mediated combination therapy in hypoxic ovarian cancer.

Coaxial Electrospray of Ranibizumab-Loaded Microparticles for Sustained Release of Anti-VEGF Therapies

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people over age 65 in industrialized nations. Intravitreous injection of anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) therapies, such as ranibizumab (trade name: Lucentis), provides an effective treatment option for neovascular AMD. We have developed an improved coaxial electrospray (CES) process to encapsulate ranibizumab in poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) microparticles (MPs) for intravitreous injection and sustained drug release. This microencapsulation process is advantageous for maintaining the stability of the coaxial cone-jet configurations and producing drug-loaded MPs with as high as 70% encapsulation rate and minimal loss of bioactivitiy. The utility of this emerging process in intravitreous drug delivery has been demonstrated in both benchtop and in vivo experiments. The benchtop test simulates ocular drug release using PLGA MPs encapsulating a model drug. The in vivo experiment evaluates the inflammation and retinal cell death after intravitreal injection of the MPs in a chick model. The experimental results show that the drug-load MPs are able to facilitate sustained drug release for longer than one month. No significant long term microglia reaction or cell death is observed after intravitreal injection of 200 μg MPs. The present study demonstrates the technical feasibility of using the improved CES process to encapsulate water-soluble drugs at a high concentration for sustained release of anti-VEGF therapy.

Energy-Efficient Surface Propulsion Inspired by Whirligig Beetles

The whirligig beetle, claimed to be one of the most energy-efficient swimmers in the animal kingdom, has evolved a series of propulsion strategies that may serve as a source of inspiration for the design of propulsion mechanisms for energy-efficient surface swimming. In this paper, we introduce a robot platform that was developed to test an energy-efficient propulsion mechanism inspired by the whirligig beetle. A propulsor-body-fluid interaction dynamics model is proposed, and based on this model, the propulsor flexural rigidity and beating patterns are optimized in order to achieve energy-efficient linear swimming and turning. The optimization results indicate that a propulsor with decreasing flexural rigidity enhances vortex shedding and improves thrust generation. It has also been found that an alternating asymmetrical beating sequence and optimal beating frequency of 0.71 Hz improves propulsion efficiency for linear swimming of the robot. The alternating beating of the outboard propulsors and the unfolded inboard propulsors working as brakes results in efficient turning with a smaller turning radius. Both simulation and experimental studies were conducted, and the results illustrate that decreasing flexural rigidity along the propulsor length, an oscillating body motion, and an S-shaped trajectory are critical for energy-efficient propulsion of the robot.