Microencapsulation is a fast-developing technology that is important for use in a wide range of everyday applications, from self-healing concrete and paints, to targeted drug delivery and cell encapsulation. One route to achieve microencapsulation is through self-assembly processes within microemulsions, in our case by combining microfluidic droplet-generating techniques with cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) host-guest chemistry.
Microdroplets can be used as templates for a polymer-based supramolecular network to form, encapsulating the contents in a microcapsule. Supramolecular network microcapsules have many advantages over traditional microcapsules, such as extremely high mass loading (> 99 wt.%), and access to a wide variety of release mechanisms.
