Effects of diffusion and mixing pattern on microfluidic-assisted synthesis of chitosan/ATP nanoparticles

Abstract

Chitosan (CHI) nanoparticles present promising applications in pharmaceutical and biomedical fields, including drug and gene delivery. Among different approaches, microfluidics emerges as a resourceful tool for nanoparticle production in low-cost, reproducible processes with predictable fluid dynamics. However, microfluidic-assisted synthesis of CHI nanoparticles has not been widely explored in the literature. In this context, we systematically investigated different process parameters that influence the synthesis of CHI/ATP nanoparticles. We highlight the effects and limitations of diffusion and distinct mixing patterns developed through the microchannels on the final physicochemical characteristics of CHI/ATP nanoparticles produced. To address these hurdles, here we describe a simple, feasible, and reproducible method for the production of CHI/ATP nanoparticles. This strategy enables the development of a continuous and homogeneous production process for CHI nanoparticles to be applied in the most varied fields of research.

Acoustofluidic Synthesis of Particulate Nanomaterials

“…Once activated, the device mixed the three solutions together and thus produced chitosan NPs. To prepare the chitosan solution, first chitosan purification was conducted following the procedures reported elsewhere . The purified chitosan was dissolved in acetic acid solutions to obtain chitosan solutions of two different concentrations, 1 and 0.5 mg mL −1 .…”

Microfluidic Generation of Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications

“…[126] For example, Pessoa et al designed four different HF microfluidic chip with various geometries for the synthesis of chitosan NPs (Figure 3a): D-simple with a short straight channel, D-long with a long curved channel, D-bends with a long bended channel, and D-barriers with a long channel separated by interval barriers. [127] The results showed that the establishment of an enough diffusion length in the microchip was essential for the continuous and homogeneous generation of NPs. In another study, Kim et al proposed microfluidic generation of alginate NPs through polyelectrolyte complexation in the microchannel.…”

“…The application of microfluidic techniques to these polymers for manufacturing NPs has become an interesting topic in scientific research . For example, Pessoa et al designed four different HF microfluidic chip with various geometries for the synthesis of chitosan NPs ( Figure a): D‐simple with a short straight channel, D‐long with a long curved channel, D‐bends with a long bended channel, and D‐barriers with a long channel separated by interval barriers . The results showed that the establishment of an enough diffusion length in the microchip was essential for the continuous and homogeneous generation of NPs.…”

“…a) Designs of HF microfluidic devices (D‐simple, D‐long, D‐bends, and D‐barriers) for the production of chitosan NPs. Reproduced with permission . Copyright 2017, Royal Society of Chemistry.…”

“…[136] The two T-junctions of the microchip were used to generate PLGA precursor droplets and water droplets in silicone oil phase, respectively. Upon fusion of the two droplets, Small 2020, 16,1901943 [127] Copyright 2017, Royal Society of Chemistry. b) Schematic illustration for the preparation of alginate-based NPs through microfluidicsaided polyelectrolyte complexation.…”