Plasmonic nanoshell synthesis in microfluidic composite foams.

The availability of robust, scalable, and automated nanoparticle manufacturing processes is crucial for the viability of emerging nanotechnologies. Metallic nanoparticles of diverse shape and composition are commonly manufactured by solution-phase colloidal chemistry methods, where rapid reaction kinetics and physical processes such as mixing are inextricably coupled, and scale-up often poses insurmountable problems. Here we present the first continuous flow process to synthesize thin gold "nanoshells" and "nanoislands" on colloidal silica surfaces, which are nanoparticle motifs of considerable interest in plasmonics-based applications. We assemble an ordered, flowing composite foam lattice in a simple microfluidic device, where the lattice cells are alternately aqueous drops containing reagents for nanoparticle synthesis or gas bubbles. Microfluidic foam generation enables precisely controlled reagent dispensing and mixing, and the ordered foam structure facilitates compartmentalized nanoparticle growth. This is a general method for aqueous colloidal synthesis, enabling continuous, inherently digital, scalable, and automated production processes for plasmonic nanomaterials.