Microfluidic Synthesis of Polymer and Inorganic Particulate Materials

Abstract

This article reviews recent developments in the microfluidic preparation of different types of particles made of polymeric and inorganic materials. We discuss control of the particle sizes, morphologies, shapes, and structures in terms of various features of microfluidic synthesis.

Synthesis, Functionalization, and Design of Magnetic Nanoparticles for Theranostic Applications

“…[42] Presence of a homogenous reaction environment followed by ultrafast mixing along with controlling the mixing time of reagents can lead to the fabrication of nanoparticles desired properties. [43] Despite the widespread utilization of wet-chemistry routes, they still suffer from some inherent properties to control the mentioned factors which results in uneven mixing and local temperature fluctuations. [44] For instance, although the coprecipitation method offers a good control over the shape and phase uniformity of nanoparticles, [45] maintaining and controlling the product homogeneity is problematic and needs multipurification steps for obtaining stable monodisperse nanoparticles.…”

“…[40] Hence, fabrication of nanoparticles with small size and narrow size distribution need a homogenous reaction environment followed by ultrafast mixing. [43] A number of these challenges, particularly in the size control have been overcome by the batch synthesis routes [158] presented in the previous section. Although wet-chemical methods have been widely used, they are still suffering from some of their intrinsic properties.…”

Basic Technologies for Droplet Microfluidics

“…Other advantages of droplet-based [76] microfluidic system include precisely controllable reaction time inside a droplet by adjusting the length of channel and the flow rates of fluids. The availability of a wide range of technologies for flexible generation and manipulation of droplets has enabled the applications of droplet microfluidics in a wide variety of fields, from chemical reactions [9,79] and protein crystallization [10,11] to material synthesis [12,13,[80][81][82][83], single cell analysis [84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91], DNA amplification [16], protein engineering [62,92], and high-throughput screening technologies [17,93]. It is not possible to cover all application areas in this review.…”

“…Later on theoretical interests arose on the characterization and exploration of complex dynamic phenomena involved in droplet generation and trafficking within microfluidic channel networks [3,4]. Meanwhile, a wealth of technologies for improved droplet generation, intra-droplet content manipulation, and methods for controlled trafficking, all enabled a wide range of appealing applications [5][6][7][8] from chemical kinetics [9] and protein 70 S. Zeng et al crystallization [10,11] to material synthesis [12,13], single cell analysis [14,15], polymerase chain reaction (PCR) [16], protein engineering, and high throughput screening technologies [17]. This review will discuss the recent advances in technologies that enable droplets as microreactors with complete functions and the applications of droplets in chemistry and biology.…”

Surface patterning of bonded microfluidic channels

“…Key features of the electrochemical patterning technique include enzyme assembly in aqueous phase ͑no dry processing is required͒ and the ability to reuse the microchip after straightforward cleaning with hydrochloric acid. 11,78 Using a slightly different electrochemical approach, Kaji et al 79,80 individually addressed specific regions of a bonded microchannel for protein binding. Generation of Br 2 , and subsequently HBrO, under stopped flow conditions at electrodes deposited on one microchannel wall was used for oxidative removal of a polyethyleneimine-heparin layer from the adjacent wall.…”