Microfluidic Mass Production and Bio-Applications of Liquid Metal Nanoparticles

Friday, 15 November 2019 at 13:30

Add to Calendar ▼2019-11-15 13:30:002019-11-15 14:30:00Europe/LondonMicrofluidic Mass Production and Bio-Applications of Liquid Metal NanoparticlesMicrofluidics and Organ-on-a-Chip Asia 2019 in Tokyo, JapanTokyo, JapanSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com

Functional nanoparticles comprised of liquid metals, such as eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) and Galinstan, present exciting opportunities in the fields of flexible electronics, sensors, catalysts, and drug delivery systems. Methods used currently for producing liquid metal (LM) nanoparticles (NPs) have significant disadvantages as they rely on both bulky and expensive high-power sonication probe systems, and also generally require the use of small molecules bearing thiol groups to stabilize the nanoparticles. In addition, LM NPs in aqueous solutions tend to oxidize and precipitate over time, which hinders their utility in systems that require long-term stability. In this presentation, innovative microfluidics-enabled acoustic platforms are described as inexpensive, easily accessible methods for the on-chip mass production of bio-functional EGaIn nanoparticles with tunable size distributions in an aqueous medium. Several novel nanoparticle-stabilization approaches are demonstrated using polymer macromolecules such as brushed polyethylene glycol and  poly(1-octadecene-alt-maleic anhydride), negating the requirements for thiol additives while imparting a “stealth” surface layer. Furthermore, a surface modification of the nanoparticles is demonstrated using galvanic replacement and conjugation with antibodies, and the application of such bio-functionalized LM NPs in positron-emission tomography imaging is demonstrated. It is envisioned that the developed microfluidic techniques and the produced liquid metal-based nanoparticles can enable a wide range of biomedical applications.

Shiyang Tang, Vice-Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong

Shiyang Tang

Dr. Shiyang Tang currently is a Vice-Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Wollongong, Australia. He received his PhD in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) from RMIT University, Australia in 2015. He joined Pennsylvania State University, USA, as a postdoctoral research fellow from Aug 2015 to Jul 2016, working on surface acoustic wave enabled microfluidic platforms. Later he joined the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), USA, as a postdoctoral scholar from Aug 2016 to Feb 2017, working on droplet-based microfluidics for point-of-care diagnosis. His research interests include developing microfluidic platforms for biomedical studies and liquid metal enabled micro-/nanoscale platforms. He is the named author for more than 55 papers published in many high-impact journals, including PNAS, Nature Communications, Matter, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, Small, Analytical Chemistry, and Lab on a Chip. The outcomes of his works have been highlighted in many world-known science magazines, such as Nature, RSC Chemistry World, New Scientists, Science Daily, Physics Org, Nanowerk, Material Views etc.