Droplet-based microreactors for nanoparticles
Different Au—Pd nanoparticles, ranging from sharp-branched octopods to core@shell octahedra, can be achieved by inline manipulation of reagent flowrates in a microreactor for seeded growth. Significantly, these structures represent different kinetic products, demonstrating an inline control strategy toward kinetic nanoparticle products that should be generally applicable.
1. A microreactor comprising:
a plurality of syringes, each syringe placed on a syringe pump;
tubing connected to each syringe;
capillaries connected to the tubing, an end of the capillaries meeting at an injector site of a respective syringe; and
a heating element, the tubing positioned in the heating element to heat the tubing, wherein droplets from the tubing are collected in a centrifuge vial after exiting the tubing.
2. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of syringes includes four syringes.
3. The microreactor of claim 2 , wherein three of the four syringes contain reagents and one of the syringes contains silicone oil.
4. The microreactor of claim 3 , wherein a flowrate of a reagent through the tubing is 1.8 mL per hour.
5. The microreactor of claim 3 , wherein a first reagent includes H2PdCl4.
6. The microreactor of claim 5 , wherein a second reagent includes Au nanocubes.
7. The microreactor of claim 6 , wherein a third reagent includes L-aa.
8. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein:
the tubing includes polytetrafluoroethylene; and
the capillaries include silica capillaries.
9. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the tubing has an inner diameter of approximately 1.58 millimeters.
10. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the capillaries have an inner diameter of approximately 0.250 millimeters.
11. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the heating element has a temperature of approximately 55° C.
12. A method for nanoparticle synthesis comprising:
placing a plurality of syringes on a syringe pump;
connecting tubing to each syringe;
connecting capillaries to the tubing so that ends of the capillaries meet at an injector site of a respective syringe;
positioning the tubing in a heating element to heat the tubing;
controlling a flowrate of a reagent through the tubing; and
collecting droplets from the tubing in a centrifuge vial after exiting the tubing.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein placing a plurality of syringes on a syringe pump includes placing four syringes on the syringe pump.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
filling three of the four syringes with reagents; and
filling one of the syringes with silicone oil.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein controlling the flowrate of a reagent through the tubing further comprises adjusting the flowrate of the reagent through the tubing to 1.8 mL per hour.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein filling three of the four syringes with reagents further comprises filling a first syringe with a reagent that includes H2PdCl4.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein filling three of the four syringes with reagents further comprises filling a second syringe with a reagent that includes Au nanocubes.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein filling three of the four syringes with reagents further comprises filling a third syringe with a reagent that includes L-aa.
19. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
connecting tubing to each syringe further comprises connecting polytetrafluoroethylene tubing to each syringe; and
connecting capillaries to the tubing further comprises connecting silica capillaries to the tubing.
20. The method of claim 12 , further comprising heating the heating element to a temperature of approximately 55° C.