title: Microfluidic Manufacturing of Polymeric Nanoparticles: Comparing Flow Control of Multiscale Structure in Single-Phase Staggered Herringbone and Two-Phase Reactors.
abstract: We compare the microfluidic manufacturing of polycaprolactone-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PCL-b-PEO) nanoparticles (NPs) in a single-phase staggered herringbone (SHB) mixer and in a two-phase gas-liquid segmented mixer. NPs generated from two different copolymer compositions in both reactors and at three different flow rates, along with NPs generated using a conventional bulk method, are compared with respect to morphologies, dimensions, and internal crystallinities. Our work, the first direct comparison between alternate microfluidic NP synthesis methods, shows three key findings: (i) NP morphologies and dimensions produced in the bulk are different from those produced in a microfluidic mixer, whereas NP crystallinities produced in the bulk and in the SHB mixer are similar; (ii) NP morphologies, dimensions, and crystallinities produced in the single-phase SHB and two-phase mixers at the lowest flow rate are similar; and (iii) NP morphologies, dimensions, and crystallinities change with flow rate in the two-phase mixer but not in the single-phase SHB mixer. These findings provide new insights into the relative roles of mixing and shear in the formation and flow-directed processing of polymeric NPs in microfluidics, informing future reactor designs for manufacturing NPs of low polydispersity and controlled multiscale structure and function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria , P.O. Box 3065, Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 3V6.
authors.forename: Zheqi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria , P.O. Box 3065, Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 3V6.
authors.forename: Changhai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and Institute for Sustainable Energy, University of Toronto , 5 King's College Road, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3G8.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Riordon
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and Institute for Sustainable Energy, University of Toronto , 5 King's College Road, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3G8.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sinton
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria , P.O. Box 3065, Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 3V6.
authors.forename: Matthew G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Moffitt