ANR Research Project 'CAPSHYDR'

Fabrication, characterization and modeling of CAPSules under HYDRodynamic stresses

Encapsulation consists in protecting a substance with a solid envelope. It avoids its dispersion in the ambient environment or its degradation in contact with it. The use of capsules (encapsulated liquid droplets) is common in nature (red blood cells, phospholipid vesicles) and in different industrial applications (biotechnology, pharmacology, cosmetics, food industry). The particles studied in this project are micrometric in size (from a few tens to a few hundreds of microns), have a liquid internal medium and are to be used in suspension in another liquid. Their membrane is a lipid bilayer (vesicles) or a reticulated membrane with elastic properties (capsules). The use of these particles relies on a fine control of the membrane properties, to control their deformation or possible breakup. Controlling the membrane properties is essential to optimize the design and production of specific capsules for each application.

The objectives of the multidisciplinary project are the following:

  • Influence of the fabrication process on the physical and mechanical properties of the capsule.
  • Motion and deformation of capsules and vesicles in suspension in an external fluid environment in motion.
  • Numerical modeling of the motion and deformation of capsules and vesicles in suspension in a fluid flow.
  • Set up of devices for the mechanical characterization of capsules and vesicles.

The project covers various fields of research that include continuum mechanics, physics, chemistry and pharmaceutical technology.

Collaborators

The interdisciplinary consortium is composed of teams with complementary fields of expertise.

Partner 1: Laboratoire Biomécanique et Bioingénierie (BMBI), UMR CNRS 7338, Université de Technologie de Compiègne.
The Biological Fluid Structure Interactions research team brings its expertise in the theoretical, numerical and experimental modeling of capsules in flow.

  • Dr. Anne-Virginie Salsac
  • Prof. Dominique Barthès-Biesel
  • Dr. Eric Leclerc

Partner 2: Institut de Recherche sur les Phénomènes Hors Equilibre (IRPHE), UMR CNRS 7342, Université de Marseille.
The Auto-organization in out-of-equilibrium systems research team has a strong experience in the study of vesicles as well as an expertise in microfluidic experimental techniques.

  • Dr. Marc Leonetti
  • Dr. Julien Deschamps
  • Dr. Marc Georgelin

Partner 3: Laboratoire de Mécanique, Modélisation & Procédés Propres (M2P2), UMR CNRS 7340, Université Paul Cézanne.
The department Numerical Fluid Mechanics and Transfers has expertise in the numerical modeling of vesicles.

  • Prof. Marc Jaeger
  • Dr. Gwenn Boëdec
  • Mme Dominique Fougère

Partner 4: Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de Reims (ICMR), UMR CNRS 7312, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne.
ICMR, specialized in molecular chemistry, brings its expertise in the fabrication and characterization of capsules.

  • Dr. Florence Edwards-Lévy