Synthesis of Biomaterials Utilizing Microfluidic Technology

Abstract

Recently, microfluidic technologies have attracted an enormous amount of interest as potential new tools for a large range of applications including materials synthesis, chemical and biological detection, drug delivery and screening, point-of-care diagnostics, and in-the-field analysis. Their ability to handle extremely small volumes of fluids is accompanied by additional benefits, most notably, rapid and efficient mass and heat transfer. In addition, reactions performed within microfluidic systems are highly controlled, meaning that many advanced materials, with uniform and bespoke properties, can be synthesized in a direct and rapid manner. In this review, we discuss the utility of microfluidic systems in the synthesis of materials for a variety of biological applications. Such materials include microparticles or microcapsules for drug delivery, nanoscale materials for medicine or cellular assays, and micro- or nanofibers for tissue engineering.

Preparation of nanoliposomes by microfluidic mixing in herring-bone channel and the role of membrane fluidity in liposomes formation

“…Microfluidic approaches to liposome production are based on the application of various geometries of mixing channel as well as the application of shear forces, electric field or various microfluidics effects taking place in the channel. A comprehensive review was published recently by Carugo et al 8 , Wang et al 9 and Maeki 10,11 . Theoretical models describing kinetic and thermodynamic parameters that determine the formation of liposomes from lipid bilayer disc were described [12][13][14][15] .…”

Cell‐free protein synthesis: The transition from batch reactions to minimal cells and microfluidic devices

“…Accordingly, these compartments could proficiently provide a suitable home for CFPS reactions (see Figure 3). Additionally, artificial cells based on microbeads (Xiao et al, 2018), microgel (Jiao, Liu, Luo, Huck, & Yang, 2018), emulsions (Kang, Monsur Ali, Zhang, Pone, & Zhao, 2014), paper (Lim, Goh, & Khor, 2017), and vesicles (Elani, 2016) could be tailored for the generation of synthetic particles via microfluidic devices, which are further employed for the CFPS on the same chip (Damiati, Mhanna et al, 2018; Wang et al, 2018).…”

“…Handling tiny volumes of fluids, prompt, and efficient transferring of heat and mass, highly controllable reactions, and rapid and direct synthesis of advanced material are superiorities of such devices. These events can be tuned to take place inside microchannels or microcompartments carved in polymer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), plastic, or glass-made miniature chips paper (Lim, Goh, & Khor, 2017), and vesicles (Elani, 2016) could be tailored for the generation of synthetic particles via microfluidic devices, which are further employed for the CFPS on the same chip (Damiati, Mhanna et al, 2018;Wang et al, 2018). Their device could hold the expression process 5-to 10-fold longer while yielding 13-22 times higher when compared with microcentrifuge tubes (Mei, Fredrickson, Simon, Khnouf, & Fan, 2007).…”

Synthesis and Study of CdSe QDs by a Microfluidic Method and via a Bulk Reaction

“…Since the total monomer concentration was the same, more monomer was consumed after the growth "burst" and, consequently, the monomer concentration in the bulk reaction was lower than in the microfluidic devices. The microfluidic devices have a higher heat and mass transfer efficiency [23][24][25], which results in larger CdSe QDs and explains why the peak wavelength in the UV-vis absorption spectra ( Figure 2c) was ultimately above that for the bulk reaction. Figure 3 shows the evolution of the predicted mean diameter of the CdSe QDs with the residence time calculated by an empirical fitting function [26].…”