Mechanical characterization of core-shell microcapsules

Abstract

Core-shell configurations are ubiquitous in nature such as in the form of bacterial and cells. Inspired by this, microcapsules are designed with actives as the cores surrounded by thin shells. They not only play an increasing role as artificial models for understanding dynamic behaviors of biological cells in flows, but are also becoming a fundamental class of artificial vehicles at the heart of drug delivery and release in applications. The mechanical properties of the shells are of great importance in this context. Here, we review recent experimental and theoretical characterizations of microcapsules, focusing on the soft and deformable particles with liquid cores. We begin by exploring the concept and fabrication of artificial microcapsules, followed by a discussion of different methods on the mechanical characterization of the shell.