Fabrication of polymeric microgels using microfluidics:Applications in biological sensing and drug delivery

This thesis focuses on developing polymeric microgels designed to serve various biomedical applications. The fabrication involves microfluidics technology, where unique microchannels are designed and manufactured to produce these microgels. One notable aspect of polymeric microgels is their chemistries, allowing further functionalization to suit specific applications. Using microfluidics technology in the fabrication process ensures precise control and scalability, enhancing these polymeric microgels' potential applications and significant influence in the biomedical field. In the first chapter, we demonstrated monodispersed non-degradable microgels produced by flow-focusing microfluidics channels for protein catch-and-release studies. Following, we synthesized microgels of varying porosities using a Y-shaped microfluidic channel and identified the most porous material for comprehensive in vitro drug delivery studies. The succeeding chapter demonstrates degradable microgels that undergo cross-linking as they traverse the serpentine channels within the microfluidics device. These degradable polymeric materials were accompanied by another reducing agent carrying microgels system. The final chapter is about another kind of polymeric material, imprinted polymers, which were fabricated using different polymerization methods. Obtained materials with different sizes were evaluated by their biomarker-catching performances. In summary, this thesis explores various polymeric microgel systems fabricated by distinct microfluidics channel designs. Each has unique features to be functionalized for multiple biomedical applications.