Microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip preparation routes for organic nanoparticles and vesicular systems for nanomedicine applications

In recent years, advancements in the fields of microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip technologies have provided unique opportunities for the implementation of nanomaterial production processes owing to the miniaturisation of the fluidic environment It has been demonstrated that microfluidic reactors offer a range of advantages compared to conventional batch reactors, including improved controllability and uniformity of nanomaterial characteristics. In addition, the fast mixing achieved within microchannels, and the predictability of the laminar flow conditions, can be leveraged to investigate the nanomaterial formation dynamics. In this article recent developments in the field of microfluidic production of nanomaterials for drug delivery applications are reviewed. The features that make microfluidic reactors a suitable technological platform are discussed in terms of controllability of nanomaterials production. An overview of the various strategies developed for the production of organic nanoparticles and colloidal assemblies is presented, focusing on those nanomaterials that could have an impact on nanomedicine field such as drug nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, liposomes, polymersomes, polyplexes and hybrid nanoparticles. The effect of microfluidic environment on nanomaterials formation dynamics, as well as the use of microdevices as tools for nanomaterial investigation is also discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.