Premium
Segregation of Dispersed Silica Nanoparticles in Microfluidic Water‐in‐Oil Droplets: A Kinetic Study
Author(s) -
Sheshachala Sahana,
Grösche Maximilian,
Scherr Tim,
Hu Yong,
Sun Pengchao,
Bartschat Andreas,
Mikut Ralf,
Niemeyer Christof M.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemphyschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1439-7641
pISSN - 1439-4235
DOI - 10.1002/cphc.201901151
Subject(s) - microfluidics , nanoparticle , nanotechnology , materials science , fluorescence , micrometer , fluorescence microscope , chemical engineering , supramolecular chemistry , chemistry , molecule , organic chemistry , physics , engineering , quantum mechanics , optics
Dispersed negatively charged silica nanoparticles segregate inside microfluidic water‐in‐oil (W/O) droplets that are coated with a positively charged lipid shell. We report a methodology for the quantitative analysis of this self‐assembly process. By using real‐time fluorescence microscopy and automated analysis of the recorded images, kinetic data are obtained that characterize the electrostatically‐driven self‐assembly. We demonstrate that the segregation rates can be controlled by the installment of functional moieties on the nanoparticle's surface, such as nucleic acid and protein molecules. We anticipate that our method enables the quantitative and systematic investigation of the segregation of (bio)functionalized nanoparticles in microfluidic droplets. This could lead to complex supramolecular architectures on the inner surface of micrometer‐sized hollow spheres, which might be used, for example, as cell containers for applications in the life sciences.