Size-controlled fabrication of polydiacetylene sensor liposomes using a microfluidic chip

Abstract

Polydiacetylene (PDA) is a conjugated polymer sensor with unique optical properties that it exhibits color (blue-to-red) and fluorescence changes under the application of thermal or chemical stress. When we produce PDA liposomes, it is important to make the size distribution of the liposomes uniform because they significantly affect the phase transition and the fluorescent emission. So far, PDA liposomes are prepared by mixing of bulk phases. As a result, they are polydisperse in size and require tedious post-processes to improve the size uniformity. Here, we report a novel strategy to generate uniform PDA sensor liposomes and control their size using a microfluidic chip and hydrodynamic focusing technique.