Size-tunable alginate nanoparticles synthesis using T-junction microfluidic chip

摘要

Nanoparticles have manifold applications in the disease detection, diagnosis, and drug delivery. The precise control of an amount of particle that delivers on each organ depends on the size of the particle and its residual time. Microfluidic has a major rule on the control size of the nanoparticles. Usually, a T-junction microchip is used for the synthesis of the nanoparticles by changing the related velocity between the core and shear flow. In this experimental study, alginate solution in water uses as the core flow and an efficient cross-linker which is CaCl2 uses as the shear flow. The different related velocity of core flow to shear flow is examined. The range of these two streams varies from 0.2 to 0.01. It should be noted that decrease of the velocity rate between two streams leads to decrease in the size of the nanoparticles. Therefore, it is shown that the smallest nanoparticle is made on the least relative stream which is 0.01. By scanning electron microscope and image processing techniques, it is found that the nanoparticle with 97 nm is produced during this process. Due to the various application fields of nanoparticles, this experimental procedure could be a promising one for the biologist in the future.