Liquid-liquid phase separation of polymeric microdomains with tunable inner morphology: Mechanistic insights and applications

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) can provide micron-sized liquid compartments dispersed in an aqueous medium. This phenomenon is increasingly appreciated in natural systems, e.g., in the formation of intracellular membraneless organelles, as well as in synthetic counterparts, such as complex coacervates and vesicles. However, the stability of these synthetic phase-separated microstructures versus coalescence is generally challenged by the presence of salts and/or surfactants, which narrows the range of possible applications. We propose a new strategy to obtain micron-sized liquid domains via LLPS, by mixing an amphiphilic copolymer with surfactants and sodium citrate in water at room temperature.