Colloidosomes: Versatile microcapsules in perspective

Colloidal particles of different sizes and shapes can organize on suspended particles or emulsion droplets, forming hollow-porous microcapsules called colloidosomes. The potential of the colloidosomes to serve as targeted delivery/controlled release devices has been discussed many times in literature. However, obtaining well-defined colloidosomes at high yields is still an open challenge. We review and compare the different methods reported in literature to produce colloidosomes, not only to show the state of the art and the aspects requiring further development, but also to spot the possible future perspectives of research in this field. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.