Microfluidic Nanoparticle Synthesis

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "B3: Nanoparticles in Biomedicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 3419

Special Issue Editors

Center for Microflows and Nanoflows, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Interests: droplet microfluidics; soft matter; lab-on-a-chip; miniaturized reactors/sensors
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Guest Editor
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
Interests: microfluidics; lab-on-a-chip; nanocomposites; biosensors; miniaturized reactors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanoparticles have attracted considerable research attention due to their unique optical, electronic, magnetic, and thermal properties. However, the lack of uniformity among nanoparticles has hindered the comprehensive understanding of their essential properties. Therefore, it is desirable to have high-quality nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution, uniform shape, and well-controlled surface chemistry. Over the past two decades, the development of synthetic methods has allowed better control over the nucleation and growth of nanoparticles. While significant progress has been made in conventional batch reactions, achieving superior control over the synthetic process remains a challenge.

In response to this challenge, microfluidic synthesis has emerged as a promising method for the controllable synthesis of nanoparticles. It offers homogeneous mixing of chemicals within milliseconds and microscopic control over reaction conditions. Furthermore, by adjusting the flow conditions of reagents, the size and uniformity of nanoparticles can be accurately regulated, enabling the study of nanoparticle nucleation and growth mechanisms. Accordingly, this Special Issue aims to present research papers, short communications, and review articles that focus on novel microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip, and miniaturized reactors for nanoparticle fabrication, as well as their emerging applications for biosensing and environmental monitoring.

We look forward to receiving your submissions.

Dr. Jing Jin
Dr. Bo Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • microfluidics
  • lab-on-a-chip
  • miniaturized reactors
  • nanoparticles
  • nanocomposites
  • hybrid nanostructures or nanocomposites
  • nanomaterial synthesis
  • biosensing
  • environmental monitoring

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 1300 KiB  
Article
Production of Uniform Droplets and Lipid Nanoparticles Using Perfluoropolyether-Based Microfluidic Devices
by Mincheol Cho, Eun Seo Kim, Tae-Kyung Ryu, Inseong Choi and Sung-Wook Choi
Micromachines 2025, 16(2), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16020179 - 31 Jan 2025
Viewed by 979
Abstract
Microfluidic devices are greatly affected by the materials used. The materials used in previous studies had problems in various aspects, such as processing, adsorption, and price. This study will investigate the materials needed to overcome such problems. Various microfluidic devices based on the [...] Read more.
Microfluidic devices are greatly affected by the materials used. The materials used in previous studies had problems in various aspects, such as processing, adsorption, and price. This study will investigate the materials needed to overcome such problems. Various microfluidic devices based on the perfluorinated compound perfluoropolyether (PFPE) were fabricated and mixed with hydrophilic and amphiphilic monomers, including poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate, polyethylene glycol monomethacrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate, acrylic acid, and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. A PFPE-based sheet with a repeating structure of hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups was fabricated. Thus, the hydrophilicity of highly hydrophobic PFPE was enhanced. The fluidic channel was engraved on a PFPE-based sheet using laser cutting and a fabricated microfluidic device. The channels of microfluidic devices are micro-scale (100 µm~300 µm). The lipid nanoparticles and droplets generated through the microfluidic device demonstrated uniform particles continuously. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Nanoparticle Synthesis)
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14 pages, 1928 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Microfluidic Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles in Flow and Drop Reactors at Low Dean Numbers
by Konstantia Nathanael, Nina M. Kovalchuk and Mark J. H. Simmons
Micromachines 2025, 16(1), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16010075 - 10 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 968
Abstract
This study evaluates the performance of continuous flow and drop-based microfluidic devices for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) under identical hydrodynamic and chemical conditions. Flows at low values of Dean number (De < 1) were investigated, where the contribution of the vortices [...] Read more.
This study evaluates the performance of continuous flow and drop-based microfluidic devices for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) under identical hydrodynamic and chemical conditions. Flows at low values of Dean number (De < 1) were investigated, where the contribution of the vortices forming inside the drop to the additional mixing inside the reactor should be most noticeable. In the drop-based microfluidic device, discrete aqueous drops serving as reactors were generated by flow focusing using silicone oil as the continuous phase. Aqueous solutions of reagents were supplied through two different channels merging just before the drops were formed. In the continuous flow device, the reagents merged at a Tee junction, and the reaction was carried out in the outlet tube. Although continuous flow systems may face challenges such as particle concentration reduction due to deposition on the channel wall or fouling, they are often more practical for research due to their operational simplicity, primarily through the elimination of the need to separate the aqueous nanoparticle dispersion from the oil phase. The results demonstrate that both microfluidic approaches produced AgNPs of similar sizes when the hydrodynamic conditions defined by the values of De and the residence time within the reactor were similar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Nanoparticle Synthesis)
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13 pages, 1910 KiB  
Article
CoWO4/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite-Modified Screen-Printed Carbon Electrode for Enhanced Voltammetric Determination of 2,4-Dichlorophenol in Water Samples
by Somayeh Tajik, Hadi Beitollahi, Fariba Garkani Nejad and Reza Zaimbashi
Micromachines 2024, 15(11), 1360; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15111360 - 9 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 861
Abstract
Water pollution with phenolic compounds is a serious environmental issue that can pose a major threat to the water sources. This pollution can come from various agricultural and industrial activities. Phenolic compounds can have detrimental effects on both human health and the environment. [...] Read more.
Water pollution with phenolic compounds is a serious environmental issue that can pose a major threat to the water sources. This pollution can come from various agricultural and industrial activities. Phenolic compounds can have detrimental effects on both human health and the environment. Therefore, it is essential to develop and improve analytical methods for determination of these compounds in the water samples. In this work, the aim was to design and develop an electrochemical sensing platform for the determination of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) in water samples. In this regard, a nanocomposite consisting of CoWO4 nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (rGO NSs) was prepared through a facile hydrothermal method. The formation of the CoWO4/rGO nanocomposite was confirmed via different characterization techniques. Then, the prepared CoWO4/rGO nanocomposite was used to modify the surface of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) for enhanced determination of 2,4-DCP. The good electrochemical response of the modified SPCE towards the oxidation of 2,4-DCP was observed by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) due to the good properties of CoWO4 NPs and rGO NSs along with their synergistic effects. Under optimized conditions, the CoWO4/rGO/SPCE sensor demonstrated a broad linear detection range (0.001 to 100.0 µM) and low limit of detection (LOD) (0.0007 µM) for 2,4-DCP determination. Also, the sensitivity of CoWO4/rGO/SPCE for detecting 2,4-DCP was 0.3315 µA/µM. In addition, the good recoveries for determining spiked 2,4-DCP in the water samples at the surface of CoWO4/rGO/SPCE showed its potential for determination of this compound in real samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Nanoparticle Synthesis)
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