Microfluidic production of silver nanoparticles demonstrates ability for on demand synthesis of a wide size distribution of particles

Abstract Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) can help prevent infection of virus and bacteria. The size and morphology of AgNP can be crucial to function, with smaller nanoparticles (< 20 nm) able to penetrate the cell wall. This is significant as oxidative stress and genotoxicity are associated with some sizes and coatings of AgNP, contraindicating the use of AgNP to reduce infection. We present evidence that a microfluidic chip can synthesize larger sizes and distributions of AgNP from the nano-to-micro size range. We show results from a microfluidic mixing chip that can produce a wide range of nano-to-micro size (~ 24–400 nm) AgNP. Synthesis is based on a modified Turkevich method, using a single-step AgNP synthesis on the microfluidic chip using two chemical components, trisodium citrate (NaCit) and AgNO₃. To make AgNP more accessible, we describe the microfluidic chip and conditions capable of synthesis. We also describe how modification of flow rate and chemical reagent concentration change particle diameter during production. In our experiments, we found that AgNP production created a visible adsorption line in the microfluidic device, possibly owing to AgNP surface interaction at the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) interface. We characterize these particles with dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Based on optical light microscopy, we hypothesize that AgNP formation primarily occurs at the interface between the two chemical reagent streams. We also conclude that AgNP size increases could be due to interaction with the PDMS surface, which is known to be porous. Future work will help to understand how surface interaction may influence the formation of larger particles.