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Updated: Mar 12, 2026
Author Spotlight: Enhancing Lipid Nanoparticle Formation Through Turbulent Mixing in Confined Geometries
Published on: August 23, 2024
Rapid microwave-assisted synthesis of sub-30nm lipid nanoparticles
Stuart S Dunn1, Denis R Beckford Vera1, S Rahima Benhabbour2
1Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Hypothesis:
Accessing the phase inversion temperature by microwave heating may enable the rapid synthesis of small lipid nanoparticles.
Experiments:
Nanoparticle formulations consisted of surfactants Brij 78 and Vitamin E TPGS, and trilaurin, trimyristin, or miglyol 812 as nanoparticle lipid cores. Each formulation was placed in water and heated by microwave irradiation at temperatures ranging from 65°C to 245°C. We observed a phase inversion temperature (PIT) for these formulations based on a dramatic decrease in particle Z-average diameters. Subsequently, nanoparticles were manufactured above and below the PIT and studied for (a) stability toward dilution, (b) stability over time, (c) fabrication as a function of reaction time, and (d) transmittance of lipid nanoparticle dispersions.
Findings:
Lipid-based nanoparticles with distinct sizes down to 20-30nm and low polydispersity could be attained by a simple, one-pot microwave synthesis. This was carried out by accessing the phase inversion temperature using microwave heating. Nanoparticles could be synthesized in just one minute and select compositions demonstrated high stability. The notable stability of these particles may be explained by the combination of van der Waals interactions and steric repulsion. 20-30nm nanoparticles were found to be optically transparent.
