(624c) Coaxial Turbulent Jet Mixer for High-Throughput Synthesis of Polymeric Nanoparticles

Polymeric nanoparticles have shown great potential for drug delivery due to their unique properties, such as controlled release and targeted delivery. Conventional bulk mixing methods for nanoparticle synthesis have limitations in terms of reproducibility and homogeneity, which can affect their effectiveness. Microfluidic platforms offer better control over nanoparticle synthesis, but they can be limited by intrinsic system constraints. In this study, we investigate the performance of a coaxial turbulent jet mixer for synthesizing polymeric nanoparticles suitable for drug delivery applications, and compare its performance with conventional bulk mixing methods. The coaxial turbulent jet mixer utilizes turbulent flow to mix the inner flow stream containing raw materials with an outer stream of non-solvent, enabling rapid nanoprecipitation. Nanoparticles synthesized using the mixer were more homogeneous and smaller than those synthesized by conventional bulk mixing. The mixer is also compatible with various organic solvents and can load functional agents such as anticancer drugs, insulin, and fluorescent dyes into the nanoparticles during the rapid nanoprecipitation. We synthesized nanoparticles at various Reynolds numbers to evaluate the scalability and reproducibility of the mixer, and compared their properties to those synthesized using bulk mixing methods.

Our results demonstrate that the coaxial turbulent jet mixer overcomes the limitations of bulk mixing methods for synthesizing polymeric nanoparticles. The mixer offers better control over nanoparticle size and distribution, and its high-throughput and continuous synthesis of functionalized nanoparticles has significant potential for drug delivery applications. We found that the average size of the nanoparticles could be tuned by adjusting the Reynolds number, and that the mixer was capable of producing nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution. The functionalization of nanoparticles with anticancer drugs, insulin, and fluorescent dyes was achieved during the rapid nanoprecipitation process, and the loaded drugs were released in a controlled manner over time.

To evaluate the performance of the coaxial turbulent jet mixer, we compared it with conventional bulk mixing methods. We found that the coaxial turbulent jet mixer produced nanoparticles with a narrower size distribution and higher homogeneity compared to bulk mixing methods. The coaxial turbulent jet mixer also showed better scalability and reproducibility, with little variation in the size and distribution of nanoparticles across different runs. These findings suggest that the coaxial turbulent jet mixer is a more reliable and efficient method for nanoparticle synthesis.

The functionalization of nanoparticles with anticancer drugs, insulin, and fluorescent dyes also demonstrated the potential of the coaxial turbulent jet mixer for drug delivery applications. We found that the loaded drugs were released from the nanoparticles in a controlled manner over time, indicating their potential for targeted drug delivery. The versatility of the coaxial turbulent jet mixer in terms of its ability to load various functional agents into nanoparticles during synthesis makes it a valuable tool for drug delivery applications.

In conclusion, we have developed a coaxial turbulent jet mixer for the high-throughput and reproducible synthesis of polymeric nanoparticles. The coaxial turbulent jet mixer overcomes the limitations of conventional microfluidic systems and bulk mixing methods, allowing for the efficient production of functional nanoparticles for clinical studies and mass production. Our results demonstrate the potential of the coaxial turbulent jet mixer for various applications in drug delivery, biomedical imaging, and other fields requiring the synthesis of well-controlled nanoparticles.