Electric- and piezoelectric-assisted control of hydrogel capsules formation

We observed that the polydispersity of the capsules obtained by spontaneous Rayleigh-Plateau instability mostly originated from the coalescence between composite droplets during free fall. We are now exploring how the application of an electric field combined with a piezoelectric-assisted mechanical stimulus may force the instability and generate monodisperse polymer capsules. Of practical importance for biological and cell therapy applications, this phenomenon is also investigated in depth from a fundamental viewpoint.