Encapsulation: Spinning disk technology

The production of monodispersed and narrow size microspheres and particles through spinning or rotating disk technology has attracted many applications in various field, from food and pharmaceutical industries to regenerative medicine. Using spinning disk atomization or spinning disk encapsulation technology, a spray of droplets with a narrow size range can produce through the interaction of liquid flow containing bioactive ingredients and shell materials with a rotating disk. Atomization or droplet formation depends on fluid flow velocity exited from the nozzle. Droplet formation may occur directly from the coincidence of liquid flow with the edge of the rotating disk or indirectly through the dispersion of ligament or sheet produced from fluid flow over the rotating disk. Many parameters should be considered in the spinning disk encapsulation process, including liquid flow rate, viscosity, and mass transfer phenomena from microcapsule. This chapter describes the principles of spinning disk atomization that can allow homogenous microbeads production and how the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering can benefit from such potentialities of this technology.