Figure 5. Protein fibrillosomes templated from W/W emulsions.

(a) Schematics of the formation of protein fibrillosomes by crosslinking fibril-coated droplets. (b) Optical microscope images of monodisperse fibrillosomes obtained after replacing the continuous phase with the same liquid inside the fibrillosomes. Scale bar, 100 μm. (c,d) SEM images of fibrillosomes with their walls consisting of amyloid fibrils. Scale bars; 2 μm (c); and 200 nm (d). (e) FITC-dextran macromolecules with hydrodynamic diameters of around 30 nm can penetrate through the membrane of fibrillosomes. Scale bar, 200 μm. (f) Fluorescent nanoparticles with diameters of 50 nm fail to penetrate the fibrillosomes. Scale bar, 200 μm. (g) The fibrillosomes exhibit excellent elasticity and robustness upon osmotic swelling and shrinking. The concentration of dextran in the continuous phase was varied from 4 to 25 wt%, while the dextran concentration inside the fibrillosomes was kept at 15 wt%, generating an osmotic pressure across the membrane. Error bars represent the s.d.