New 3D Vortex Microfluidic System Tested for Magnetic Core-Shell Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-SA Nanoparticle Synthesis
Adelina-Gabriela Niculescu,
Oana Maria Munteanu (Mihaiescu),
Alexandra Cătălina Bîrcă,
Alina Moroșan,
Bogdan Purcăreanu,
Bogdan Ștefan Vasile,
Daniela Istrati,
Dan Eduard Mihaiescu,
Tony Hadibarata,
Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu
Affiliations
Adelina-Gabriela Niculescu
Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Oana Maria Munteanu (Mihaiescu)
Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Alexandra Cătălina Bîrcă
Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Alina Moroșan
Department of Organic Chemistry, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Bogdan Purcăreanu
Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Bogdan Ștefan Vasile
Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Daniela Istrati
Department of Organic Chemistry, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Dan Eduard Mihaiescu
Department of Organic Chemistry, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Tony Hadibarata
Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu
Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
This study’s main objective was to fabricate an innovative three-dimensional microfluidic platform suitable for well-controlled chemical syntheses required for producing fine-tuned nanostructured materials. This work proposes using vortex mixing principles confined within a 3D multilayered microreactor to synthesize magnetic core-shell nanoparticles with tailored dimensions and polydispersity. The newly designed microfluidic platform allowed the simultaneous obtainment of Fe3O4 cores and their functionalization with a salicylic acid shell in a short reaction time and under a high flow rate. Synthesis optimization was also performed, employing the variation in the reagents ratio to highlight the concentration domains in which magnetite is mainly produced, the formation of nanoparticles with different diameters and low polydispersity, and the stability of colloidal dispersions in water. The obtained materials were further characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), with the experimental results confirming the production of salicylic acid-functionalized iron oxide (Fe3O4-SA) nanoparticles adapted for different further applications.
