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Nanbiosis

U9-E01. Reactor for laser-induced pyrolysis for controlled synthesis of nanoparticles

Reactor for laser-induced pyrolysis for controlled synthesis of nanoparticles from vapor phase precursors, aerosols and vaporized mixtures of gases and liquids. This reactor is composed of the following components:
•• Infrared CO2 laser resonator.
•• RF and DC three-phase radiofrequency supply at 360 and 440 V.
•• External cooler unit.
•• Laser power meter Unit by Ophir Optronics Ltd.
•• Reaction chamber for working under vacuum (10-6 mbar).
•• System for mixing and vaporization of gases and liquids to produce aerosol and gas mixtures at known compositions (Brooks Instrument).

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U9-E02. System for measuring of adsorption and drugs delivery

System for measuring of adsorption and drugs delivery consisting of an UV -Visible spectrometer (Agilent) with flow cell and diode array detector (DAD ).

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U9-E03. Two instruments for liquid-phase synthesis of nanoparticles

Two instruments for liquid-phase synthesis of nanoparticles by high-temperature decomposition of organometallic precursors.

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U9-E04. Two spectrometers ZER 3000 HS and a Brookhaven 90PLUS PCS

Two photoelectron correlation spectrometers (PCS ) (a Malvern Instruments ZETASI ZER 3000 HS and a Brookhaven 90PLUS PCS ) to obtain measurements of average hydrodynamic diameter, aggregate size distribution and isoelectric point of colloidal dispersions from nanoparticles.

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U9-E05. Micromeritics ASA P 2020 analyzer

Micromeritics ASA P 2020 analyzer to measure the specific surface area and porosity of nanoparticles and nanostructures by gas adsorption.

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U9-E06. System for the thermal and optical characterization of core-shell metallic nanoparticles by surface plasmon resonance

System for the thermal and optical characterization of core-shell metallic nanoparticles by surface plasmon resonance.

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U9-E07. Software for data acquisition and processing from PCS , BET

Software for data acquisition and processing from PCS , BET (for the interpretation of gas adsorption) and thermogravimetry.

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U9-S05. Generation and control of nanoparticle aerosols

Generation and control of nanoparticle aerosols

This Unit offers the possibility of generating nanoparticle aerosols from a large variety of liquid suspensions or nanosized powders. Our patented technology allows a reliable aerosol generation from any preformed micro or nanoparticle powder. These aerosols with known and reproducible characteristics can then be used in wide variety of applications.
For determining the particle size and concentration in aerosol phase, several nanoparticle aerosol spectrometers are also available. These allow a real-time determination of the concentration of particulate matter in air streams and environments from sizes down to 5 nm.
Also, the Unit is able to identify nanosize matter from aerosols using a reliable, ultrasensitive identification in diverse matrices, based in introducing trace amounts of labels (eg. rare earth oxides or flurorophores).

The following devices are available through this service:

  • Liquid-phase aerosol generators.
  • Nanoparticle aerosol generator from powder samples.
  • Fluidized bed aerosol generator.
  • Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (Grimm Aerosol) for nanoparticle aerosols from 5 nm to 10 um.
  • Optical Particle Sizer (Grimm Aerosol) for particulate aerosols from 1 um to 400 um.
  • Environmental exposure chamber with controlled nanoparticle concentration.

Customer benefits

This service is able to produce stable and reliable aerosol streams with nanoparticles of a large variety of origins, e.g., on exposure tests with environmental models or for development and validation of methods for sampling and monitoring of airborne matter.

Target customer

Researchers with interests in environmental modelling, nanoparticle aerosol distribution, pharmaceutical companies for aerosolized drug formulations, development of clinical aerosol formulations, testing of respiratory devices and research in filtering units.

Additional information

https://nfp.unizar.es/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/B4-figure1.jpeg SEM and TEM images of the matter captured from the powder aerosol generator

Selected References:

  1. Fast and simple assessment of surface contamination in operations involving nanomaterials. Clemente, A. et al. J. Hazard. Mater. 363, 358-365, (2019)
  2. A Versatile Generator of Nanoparticle Aerosols. A novel tool in Environmental and Occupational Exposure Assessment. Clemente, A., et al., Sci. Total Environ. 625, 978-986, (2018).
  3. Modelling the size distribution in a fluidized bed of nanopowder. Fabre, A. et al. Environ. Sci. Nano, 4 (3), 670-678 (2017).

Patents:

  • Generador de aerosoles nanoparticulados y procedimiento de generación de aerosoles en continuo asociado a dicho generador J. Santamaria, F. Balas, M.P. Lobera, A. Clemente. Patent Appl. Number: PCT/ES2018/070027 Patent holder entity: University of Zaragoza, VITROCELL SYSTEMS GMBH
  • Method for generating an inhalable micro-or nanoparticulate aerosol from a dry-powdered biocompatible material. J. Santamaria, M.P. Lobera, B. Arauzo, F. Balas, A. Clemente, Spanish Patent EP22382574.
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U9-S04. Microfluidics and microwave-assisted production of nanoparticles

Microfluidics and microwave-assisted production of nanoparticles

Conventional batch reactors may suffer from limitations due to the inefficient heat and mass transfer that makes it very difficult to achieve an accurate control on the synthesis conditions. This has a direct effect on key aspects such as reproducibility, selectivity and scalability. In fact, one of the bottlenecks in the development of Nanotechnology lies in the lack of precise synthesis methods capable of a scaled up production.
Continuous flow reactors based on microfluidic principles offer potential solutions to the aforementioned concerns. The exquisite control afforded by microfluidic reactors enables continuous production of nanomaterials with targeted sizes, shapes and composition. Moreover, the combination with microwave reactors can accelerate the stabilization of metastable phase due to the fast and selective heating supplied by this electromagnetic irradiation.

Customer benefits

The customer can benefit from the Unit´s expertise on the design of versatile microfluidic platforms to produce a broad library of nanostructures in a continuous fashion, often with a strong reduction of processing times with respect to the corresponding batch process. The Unit also offers unprecedented flexibility in terms of tuning the reaction atmosphere. Access to microwave reactors to perform fast heating reactions will be another asset to optimize specific synthesis and/or reactions in liquid media.

Target customer

Pharmaceutical companies, material suppliers, research groups pursuing a controlled and potentially scalable production of materials.

Additional information

https://nfp.unizar.es/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A3-screenshot-24jul19-170853.025781151.png

Selected References:

  1. R. Quirós-Ovies, et al., Microwave-driven exfoliation of bulk 2H-MoS2 after acetonitrile pre-wetting produces large-area ultrathin flakes with exceptionally high yield, ACS Nano, 17, 5984-93 (2023).
  2. Manno, R., RanjaN, P., Sebastian, V., Mallada, R., Irusta, S., Upendra K. Sharma, U.K., Van der Eycken E.V., Santamaria, J., Continuous Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Silver Nanoclusters Confined in Mesoporous SBA-15: Application in Alkyne Cyclizations. Chem. Mat. 32, 7, 2874–2883, (2020).
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U9-S03. Characterization of nanoparticles

Characterization of nanoparticles

The unit has access to different advanced characterization equipment including N2 adsorption (ASAP), porosimetry, several chromatography techniques (GC, HPLC, UPLC, GC-MS), Microwave Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (MP-AES) for elemental analysis, UV-VIS spectroscopy, DSC, NTA, TPD/TPR and TGA. On the other hand, there is access to magnetic characterization by SQUID and VSM, Raman Spectroscopy (Alpha300R WITEC Raman confocal microscope), Infrared spectroscopy FTIR (Vertex 70 Bruker) and Fluorescence spectrometry (Perkin-Elmer, LS-45). Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) (including 3 dual-beam models); Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM) (including two ultra-high resolution models with aberration corrector lens: TITAN 80-300 y TITAN CUBE 60-300). X-ray Diffractometers (specialized for powdered, low-angle and heating configurations), 2 X-ray Photoemission Spectrophotometers (XPS).

Customer benefits

The customer will be benefit from the expertise of the Unit´s members to carry out a complete characterization of nano and microstructured materials, ranging from polymeric, biological to inorganic compositions, including morphological, chemical, structural, optical, magnetic properties.

Target customer

Companies, material suppliers, pharma laboratories, research laboratories, conservation, medical laboratories.

Additional information

Selected Reference:

N. Miguel-Sancho, G. Martinez, V. Sebastian, A. Malumbres, I. Florea, R. Arenal, M. Carmen Ortega-Liebana, J.L. Hueso, J. Santamaria, Pumping Metallic Nanoparticles with Spatial Precision within Magnetic Mesoporous Platforms: 3D Characterization and Catalytic Application, Acs Applied Materials & Interfaces, 9 (2017) 41529-41536.

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