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Fabrication of anisotropic polymer crystalsomes through composite film deformation
Thesis

Fabrication of anisotropic polymer crystalsomes through composite film deformation

Hans Alexander Geiser
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
May 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011456
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Geiser_Hans_20263.95 MB
PDF Embargoed Access, Embargo ends: 30 Jun 2027

Abstract

Anisotropy Crystalsome shells Film deformation Nanoparticles Polymers
PLLA crystalsomes are novel hollow nanoparticles which are characterized by their single crystal-like shell and have demonstrated substantial promise in drug delivery applications due to their superior drug loading capabilities, robust crystal shells, and high blood-circulation times. Concurrently, anisotropic particles have generated significant research interest particularly with respect to drug delivery as particle shape plays an important role in a variety of drug carrier properties. However, very little research has been dedicated to the intersection of these two parallel fields. This project aims to develop a new toluene-based cold-quenching method to fabricate low crystallinity crystalsomes and outline two repeatable methods for producing different morphologically anisotropic crystalsomes by utilizing a common technique of film deformation. Low crystallinity crystalsomes with desirable morphology, size, and hollowness were developed reliably using this method, and PVA composite film stretching and calendaring were effectively utilized on these crystalsomes to repeatably produce prolate, ellipsoid, and oblate crystalsomes. Composite film stretching was used to fabricate prolate crystalsomes with an average aspect ratio of 1.6, while composite film compression through calendaring produced a variety of anisotropic crystalsome shapes whose relative abundances were tuned by changing film compressing ratio. Different anisotropic crystalsome aspect ratios were successfully isolated through film layer separation correlating to a deformation tensor, and crystallinity was reintroduced to the crystalsomes post-fabrication through suspension annealing. These novel anisotropic crystalsomes show great promise in not only drug delivery applications, but also in structural coatings applications where self-healing coatings using hollow particles are seeing prominent research.

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