Perfluorocarbons (PFC) possess unique chemical properties that make them ideal candidates for the preparation of liquid-in-liquid emulsions for a variety of biomedical applications. In particular, emulsified PFCs undergo liquid-to-gas phase transitions in response to thermal or acoustic stimuli, enabling spatial control over their vaporization and consequent cargo delivery. However, conventional methods for the preparation of PFC emulsions lack the capability to precisely tune thermodynamic stability of the colloid interface that are necessary for controlling their thermal and acoustic vaporization behavior. In this study, we report a privileged fluoroalkanoic acid that undergoes templated self-assembly at the surface of the fluorous droplets to controllably modulate their interfacial surface tension. This allows for the rational formulation of orthogonal PFC droplets that can be programmed to vaporize at specified ultrasound powers. We exploit this behavior in two exemplary biomedical settings by developing emulsions that aid ultrasound-mediated hemostasis and enable bioorthogonal delivery of molecular sensors to mammalian cells. Mechanistic insights gained from these studies can be generalized to tune the thermodynamic interfacial equilibria of PFC emulsions towards designing controllable tools for precision medicine.

Tuning the interfacial properties of fluorous colloids towards ultrasound programmable bioactivity.

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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