Fabrication of Various Cellulose Microstructures via Oil-templated Regenerationof Cellulose Within a Simple Microfluidic System

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel method for fabricating oil-phase-containing cellulose microfibers, microtubes, and microcapsules using a one-step continuous process in a single microfluidic system. The proposed method is based on the regeneration of cellulose, that is, when an ionic liquid (IL) is dissolved in antisolvents of cellulose such as water, the cellulose dissolved in the IL is aggregates and regenerates on the surface of mineral oil present in the system to form a cellulose microstructure. By controlling the flowrate of each fluid, various cellulose microstructures containing mineral oil can be formed. Notably, the cellulose microstructures produced using this approach remains stable even after one year. This method can also be applied to form cellulose microfibers containing polystyrene beads and hollow cellulose microcapsules. Therefore, it is anticipated that the proposed method for the preparation of cellulose particles and core-shell structures has significant potential in medicine delivery, cosmetics, and electronic materials.