Fabrication of High-Resolution Fine Microneedles Derived from Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid Gels in Vacuum Environment Imprinting Using Water Permeable Mold

Abstract

Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid high-resolution fine microneedles of 13 µm in diameter and 24 µm in height were fabricated from hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid gels made in mixtures of water using vacuum environment imprint lithography processes with a water permeable mold. The gas traps of water and volatile solvents in the imprint materials cause transfer failure in the conventional water impermeable molds of quartz and metal. However, the water permeable mold allows the use of 67 wt% dilution water with high solubility to increase the fluidity of the hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid during the patterning of high-resolution fine microneedles for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. This demonstration sets a new paradigm of functional pure gels for high-resolution nano-patterning applications with various cosmetic and pharmaceutical materials containing dilution water using a water permeable mold.

Keywords

• fine microneedles
• hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid
• functional gels
• cosmetics
• transdermal drug delivery system
• water permeable mold