Mass production and size control of lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles through controlled microvortices

Nano Lett. 2012 Jul 11;12(7):3587-91. doi: 10.1021/nl301253v. Epub 2012 Jun 20.

Abstract

Lipid-polymer hybrid (LPH) nanoparticles can deliver a wide range of therapeutic compounds in a controlled manner. LPH nanoparticle syntheses using microfluidics improve the mixing process but are restricted by a low throughput. In this study, we present a pattern-tunable microvortex platform that allows mass production and size control of LPH nanoparticles with superior reproducibility and homogeneity. We demonstrate that by varying flow rates (i.e., Reynolds number (30-150)) we can control the nanoparticle size (30-170 nm) with high productivity (∼3 g/hour) and low polydispersity (∼0.1). Our approach may contribute to efficient development and optimization of a wide range of multicomponent nanoparticles for medical imaging and drug delivery.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Lipids / chemistry*
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques*
  • Molecular Weight
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Particle Size
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Lipids
  • Polymers