Polymer-Based Particles Synthesis Using Microfluidic Approaches

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 October 2023) | Viewed by 2670

Special Issue Editors

Microelectromechanical Systems Research Unit (CMEMS-UMinho), Department Electrónica Industrial, Campus de Azurém, Universidade do Minho, 4800-058 Guimaraes, Portugal
Interests: microfluidics; lab-on-a-chip; micro and nanostructured materials; micro/nanotechnologies, smart and functional materials; polymers, biomedicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Particles, in both micro- and nanometric sizes, play key roles in a broad range of biological and biomedical applications, including tissue engineering, single-cell analysis, pharmaceutical science, disease diagnosis and treatment, among others. Particle properties, such as monodispersity, porosity, shape, size and chemistry must be tailored according to the application requirements. In recent years, microfluidic approaches have gained great attention for particle preparation for allowing the required well-controlled and tailorable physicochemical properties that come from their laminar flow, easy control, automation, high throughput, reproducibility and low cost. A particular value is that microfluidics can be applied to synthesize particles with narrow size distribution, novel morphologies and/or special properties.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest advances on the subject, from the development of micro- and nanoparticles using microfluidic technology to the practical applications of these materials. Thus, all manuscripts reporting original research, short communications, state-of-the-art reviews and perspectives on the latest developments in micro- and nanoparticle synthesis using microfluidic approaches are welcome. Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Micro- and nanoparticles;
  • Micro- and nanospheres;
  • Synthesis;
  • Microfluidics;
  • Microfluidic devices;
  • Nanofluidics;
  • Applications of nanoparticles in biotechnology;
  • Applications of nanoparticles in biomedical engineering;
  • Applications of nanoparticles in mechanical engineering;
  • Visualization techniques for micro- and nanofluids;
  • Image analysis in micro- and nanofluids;
  • Numerical simulations of micro- and nanofluids;
  • Heat and mass transport of nanofluids.

Dr. Vanessa F. Cardoso
Dr. Graça Minas
Dr. Rui A. Lima
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • micro- and nanoparticles
  • micro- and nanospheres
  • synthesis
  • microfluidics
  • nanofluidics
  • microchannels
  • biotechnological applications
  • biomedical applications
  • mechanical applications

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1935 KiB  
Article
Continuous Nanoprecipitation of Polycaprolactone in Additively Manufactured Micromixers
by Simeon Göttert, Irina Salomatov, Stephan Eder, Bernhard C. Seyfang, Diana C. Sotelo, Johann F. Osma and Clemens K. Weiss
Polymers 2022, 14(8), 1509; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14081509 - 07 Apr 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1792
Abstract
The polymeric ouzo effect is an energy-efficient and robust method to create nanoparticles with biologically degradable polymers. Usually, a discontinuous or semi-continuous process is employed due to its low technical effort and the fact that the amount of dispersions needed in a laboratory [...] Read more.
The polymeric ouzo effect is an energy-efficient and robust method to create nanoparticles with biologically degradable polymers. Usually, a discontinuous or semi-continuous process is employed due to its low technical effort and the fact that the amount of dispersions needed in a laboratory is relatively small. However, the number of particles produced in this method is not enough to make this process economically feasible. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the productivity of the process and create a controllable and robust continuous process with the potential to control parameters, such as the particle size or surface properties. In this study, nanoparticles were formulated from polycaprolactone (PCL) in a continuous process using additively manufactured micromixers. The main goal was to be able to exert control on the particle parameters in terms of size and zeta potential. The results showed that particle size could be adjusted in the range of 130 to 465 nm by using different flow rates of the organic and aqueous phase and varying concentrations of PCL dissolved in the organic phase. Particle surface charge was successfully shifted from a slightly negative potential of −14.1 mV to a negative, positive, or neutral value applying the appropriate surfactant. In summary, a continuous process of nanoprecipitation not only improves the cost of the method, but furthermore increases the control over the particle’s parameters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer-Based Particles Synthesis Using Microfluidic Approaches)
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