A One-Pot Fabrication of Chitosan Gel-Encapsulated Gold Nanoparticles Using Inkjet Mixing Technology.

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have diverse applications in medicine and electronics.
• Chitosan is a biocompatible polymer widely used in drug delivery and tissue engineering.
• Controlling nanoparticle size and encapsulation is crucial for their performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a one-pot synthesis method for chitosan gel-encapsulated AuNPs.
• To investigate the role of an inkjet mixing system in nanoparticle synthesis and encapsulation.
• To explore the critical parameters influencing the encapsulation efficiency and nanoparticle characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an inkjet mixing system for the controlled collision of microdroplets.
• Employed a reduction method for synthesizing AuNPs.
• Investigated different gelling agents for chitosan capsule formation.
• Analyzed the critical time window between AuNP nucleation and chitosan gelation.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized AuNPs with an average diameter of 5.1 nm and a coefficient of variation of 0.19.
• Demonstrated that the gelling agent type affects capsule diameter and particle size distribution.
• Achieved successful one-pot synthesis of chitosan gel-encapsulated AuNPs.
• Identified the time between AuNP nucleation and gelation as critical for encapsulation.

Conclusions:

• The inkjet mixing system enables precise control over nanoparticle synthesis and encapsulation.
• The developed method is a powerful tool for understanding nanoparticle formation mechanisms.
• The system's potential can be expanded for synthesizing various nanoscale products by process design.