THESIS
2021
1 online resource (xv, 59 pages) : illustrations (some color)
Abstract
Most of the properties of nanoparticles are size-dependent, so post-synthesis purification is a crucial step in nanotechnology. There has been a demand for a separation tool that is inexpensive, widely applicable and with high throughput, which traditional separation science cannot satisfy, yet can be fulfilled by the continuous nature of micro free-flow electrophoresis (μFFE). μFFE is a miniaturized separational technique that combines a continuous flow of sample in a planar separation bed with a perpendicular application of voltage; the analytes experience the electric field and deflect to different degrees according to their electrophoretic mobilities, and the laterally resolved fractions were subsequently collected simultaneously with high throughput. We herein presented a promising...[
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Most of the properties of nanoparticles are size-dependent, so post-synthesis purification is a crucial step in nanotechnology. There has been a demand for a separation tool that is inexpensive, widely applicable and with high throughput, which traditional separation science cannot satisfy, yet can be fulfilled by the continuous nature of micro free-flow electrophoresis (μFFE). μFFE is a miniaturized separational technique that combines a continuous flow of sample in a planar separation bed with a perpendicular application of voltage; the analytes experience the electric field and deflect to different degrees according to their electrophoretic mobilities, and the laterally resolved fractions were subsequently collected simultaneously with high throughput. We herein presented a promising way of performing size separation of nanoparticles on a low-cost μFFE device. A laminated polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEG-DA) μFFE device was fabricated through an inexpensive, straightforward, and fast manufacturing method with simple setup. The sandwiched device was mass produced with high reproducibility and resolution.
Multiple separation sets of samples were performed on the PEG-DA device to evaluate its separation functionality, efficiency, and long-term stability. The separation of fluorescent dyes displayed a steady maintenance of resolution for at least 2 hours, while the optimization of size separation of unmodified polystyrene nanoparticles verified the feasibility of nanoparticle separation based on their intrinsic surface charges by μFFE, and its efficiency was further confirmed with the size characterizations of the collected fractions. The satisfying preliminary results displayed a great potential of integrating μFFE device with other microfluidic components like microreactors, to achieve a seamless and sustained process from synthesis to separation and collection of the purified nanoparticles. It also opened the possibilities of applying the analytical technique of μFFE on the identification and removal of nanoparticles with natural charges in the fields of food and environment in the future.
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