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Rapid mixing is a critical step in many nanoparticle syntheses that can impact the ability to scale production from bench to industrial levels. This study combines experimental and computational approaches to characterize mixing dynamics in crossflow jet mixing reactors (JMRs) with millimeter-scale internal dimensions. The Villermaux-Dushman reaction system is used to quantify experimental mixing times across different reactor sizes and flow rates. Complementary computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations assess changes in the state of the flow and estimate mixing times under varying operating conditions. Mixing times derived from CFD results agree well with the experimental results for mixing indices between 0.95 and 0.98. To demonstrate the impact of mixing on nanoparticle formation, we synthesize polybutylacrylate-b-polyacrylic acid (PBA-PAA) block co-polymer nanoparticles, confirming the existence of a critical flow rate beyond which particle size stabilizes. Additionally, we produce polylactic acid-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles incorporating a hydrophobic dye, achieving an average particle size below 300 nm at a throughput of ∼ 1.3 kg/day. These results provide insights into optimizing JMRs for high-throughput, reproducible nanoparticle synthesis, bridging the gap between benchtop and industrial-scale production.
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This content will become publicly available on August 31, 2026
Proof of Concept for Flow Through Nanoparticle Trapping Using a Dielectrophoretic Metal‐Coated Nanofiber Mat
ABSTRACT While traditional dielectrophoretic methods for nanoparticle enrichment and filtration are versatile and selective, they struggle to handle higher throughput applications. To address this challenge and enhance the practical application of dielectrophoresis, we propose an innovative design for porous sandwiched nanofiber electrodes. The electrode is fabricated through a simple process involving the electrospinning of nanofibers with a diameter of 216 ± 28 nm and mat thickness of around 70 µm, followed by the deposition of a thin chromium/gold layer (approximately 140 nm thick) on both sides. This process ensures no electrical short circuit occurs between the electrodes, and it maintains a sheet resistance of 7.19 Ω/□. The resulting significant electric field gradients are capable of trapping nanoparticles with diameters of 100 nm and 40 nm. The structure's sub‐micrometer features and large active surface area allow for trapping of nanoparticles at a flow rate of 3.6 mL/h. To evaluate the effects of applied voltage and volumetric flow rate, we conducted experiments with constant voltage while varying the flow rate and constant flow rate while varying the voltage. Our findings indicate that trapping performance improves with higher AC voltage but decreases at higher flow rates. These insights are crucial for optimizing parameters for large‐scale nanoparticle enrichment and filtration. This proof‐of‐concept study for flow through dielectrophoresis of nanoparticles paves the way for a device suitable for large‐scale sample processing and higher throughput/separation efficiency in practical settings.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2121008
- PAR ID:
- 10640264
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ELECTROPHORESIS
- ISSN:
- 0173-0835
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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