A versatile and robust microfluidic nanoprecipitation platform for high throughput synthesis of nanoparticles is fabricated. The versatility of this platform is proven through the successful preparation of different types of nanoparticles. This platform presents great robustness, with homogeneous nanoparticles always being obtained, regardless of the formulation parameters. The diameter and surface charge of the prepared nanoparticles can also be easily tuned.

Although a number of techniques exist for generating structured organic nanocomposites, it is still challenging to fabricate them in a controllable, yet universal and scalable manner. In this work, a microfluidic platform, exploiting superfast (milliseconds) time intervals between sequential nanoprecipitation processes, has been developed for high-throughput production of structured core/shell nanocomposites. The extremely short time interval between the sequential nanoprecipitation processes, facilitated by the multiplexed microfluidic design, allows us to solve the instability issues of nanocomposite cores without using any stabilizers. Beyond high throughput production rate (∼700 g/day on a single device), the generated core/shell nanocomposites harness the inherent ultrahigh drug loading degree and enhanced payload dissolution kinetics of drug nanocrystals and the controlled drug release from polymer-based nanoparticles.

The characterization of SU-8 microchannels for electrokinetic microfluidic applications is reported. The electroosmotic (EO) mobility in SU-8 microchannels was determined with respect to pH and ionic strength by the current monitoring method. Extensive electroosmotic flow (EOF), equal to that for glass microchannels, was observed at pH > or =4. The highest EO mobility was detected at pH > or =7 and was of the order of 5.8 x 10(-4) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) in 10 mM phosphate buffer. At pH < or =3 the electroosmotic flow was shown to reverse towards the anode and to reach a magnitude of 1.8 x 10(-4) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) in 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2). Also the zeta-potential on the SU-8 surface was determined, employing lithographically defined SU-8 microparticles for which a similar pH dependence was observed. SU-8 microchannels were shown to perform repeateably from day to day and no aging effects were observed in long-term use.

Microfabrication of analytical devices is currently of growing interest and many microfabricated instruments have also entered the field of mass spectrometry (MS). Various (atmospheric pressure) ion sources as well as mass analyzers have been developed exploiting microfabrication techniques. The most common approach thus far has been the miniaturization of the electrospray ion source and its integration with various separation and sampling units. Other ionization techniques, mainly atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and photoionization, have also been subject to miniaturization, though they have not attracted as much attention. Likewise, all common types of mass analyzers have been realized by microfabrication and, in most cases, successfully applied to MS analysis in conjunction with on-chip ionization. This review summarizes the latest achievements in the field of microfabricated ion sources and mass analyzers. Representative applications are reviewed focusing on the development of fully microfabricated systems where ion sources or analyzers are integrated with microfluidic separation devices or microfabricated pums and detectors, respectively. Also the main microfabrication methods, with their possibilities and constraints, are briefly discussed together with the most commonly used materials.

We present a fully microfabricated and monolithically integrated capillary electrophoresis (CE)-electrospray ionization (ESI) chip for coupling with high-throughput mass spectrometric (MS) analysis. The chips are fabricated fully of a negative photoresist SU-8 by a standard lithographic process which enables straightforward batch fabrication of multiple chips with precisely controlled dimensions and, thus, reproducible analytical performance from chip to chip. As the coaxial sheath flow interface is patterned as an integral part of the SU-8 chip, the fluidic design is dead-volume-free. No significant peak broadening occurs so that very narrow peak widths (down to 2-3 s) are obtained. The sheath flow interface also enables comprehensive optimization of both the CE and the ESI conditions separately so that the same chip design is adaptable to diverse analytical conditions. Plate numbers of the order of 105 m-1 and good resolution are routinely reached for small molecules and peptides within a 2 cm separation length and a typical cycle time of only 30-90 s per sample. In addition, a limit of detection of 100 nM corresponding to a total amount of only 4.5 amol (per injection volume of 45 pL) and excellent quantitative linearity (R2 = 0.9999; 100 nM to 100 microM) were obtained in small-molecule analysis using verapamil as a test compound. The quantitative repeatability was proven good (8.5-21.4% relative standard deviation, peak area) also for the other drug substances and peptides tested.

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Herein, we report the production of monodisperse hollow microparticles from three different polymers, namely, pH-responsive acetylated dextran and hypromellose acetate succinate and biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), at varying polymer concentrations using a poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based microfluidic device. Hollow microparticles formed during solvent diffusion into the continuous phase when the polymer close to the interface solidified, forming the shell. In the inner part of the particle, phase separation induced solvent droplet formation, which dissolved the shell, forming a hole and a hollow-core particle. Computational simulations showed that, despite the presence of convective recirculation around the droplet, the mass-transfer rate of the solvent dissolution from the droplet to the surrounding phase was dominated by diffusion. To illustrate the potential use of hollow microparticles, we simultaneously encapsulated two anticancer drugs and investigated their loading and release profiles. In addition, by utilizing different polymer shells and polymer concentrations, the release profiles of the model drugs could be tailored according to specific demands and applications. The high encapsulation efficiency, controlled drug release, unique hollow microparticle structure, small particle size (<7 μm), and flexibility of the polymer choice could make these microparticles advanced platforms for pulmonary drug delivery.

This work reveals the material impacts on long-term cell survival and adhesion on 3D printed surfaces manufactured by stereolithography.