NanoDroptype

NanoDroptype refers to a class of nanoscale liquid droplets designed to serve as modular reaction and transport units in nanofabrication and microfluidic systems. These droplets are typically 20 to 1000 nanometers in diameter and are stabilized by surfactants, polymer shells, or lipid-like coatings. The internal phase can be aqueous or oil-based, and the surface can be functionalized with chemical groups, biomolecules, or targeting ligands to control interactions with environments or other droplets.

Manufacturing and control: NanoDroptypes are produced by emulsification, nanoprecipitation, or microfluidic jetting, and their properties are tuned by the choice of core material, stabilizer, and process conditions. External fields, such as electric or magnetic inputs, can be used to actuate, merge, or split droplets in a controlled manner.

Applications: In research and development, NanoDroptypes are used for high-throughput screening of chemical reactions, single-cell analysis, targeted delivery research, and the synthesis of nanomaterials within isolated compartments. They also enable digital microfluidic architectures that serialize and parallelize experiments.

Advantages and limitations: The approach offers high surface area-to-volume ratios, robust encapsulation, and isolation of reactive environments. Challenges include stability against coalescence, sensitivity to storage conditions, potential toxicity for biological applications, and the need for compatible solvents and materials.

History and terminology: The concept emerged in the context of microfluidics and nanoengineering in the early 21st century, with varying terminology across groups; NanoDroptype is one of several terms used to describe similar nanoscale droplets.