One droplet reaction for synthesis of multi-sized nanoparticles

Reaction kinetics of nanoparticles can be controlled by tuning the Peclet number (Pe) as it is an essential parameter in synthesis of multi-sized nanoparticles. Herein, we propose to implement a self-driven multi-dimension microchannels reactor (MMR) for the one droplet synthesis of multi-sized nanoparticles. By carefully controlling the Pe at the gas—liquid interface, the newly formed seed crystals selectively accumulate and grow to a specific size. By the combination of microchannels of different widths and lengths, one droplet reaction in the same apparatus achieves the synchronous synthesis of diverse nanoparticles. MMR enables precise control of nanoparticle diameter at 5 nm precision in the range of 10–110 nm. The use of MMR can be extended to the synthesis of uniform Ag, Au, Pt, and Pd nanoparticles, opening towards the production and engineering of nanostructured materials. This approach gives the chance to regulate the accumulation probability for precise synthesis of nanoparticles with different diameters. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]