Assessing the Impact of Automated Synthesis on Polycation-Mediated Control of Magnetite Nanoparticle Size

In this proposal, we use the case study of magnetite to assess how the initial burst of supersaturation experienced in automated syntheses affects the effectiveness of bioinspired polycations in controlling the final particle size and morphology. Concretely, we hypothesize that final magnetite nanoparticle size is directly correlated to the rate of formation of the initial amorphous organic/inorganic hybrid nanoparticles. In order to test this assertion, we will correlate the length and linear charge density of charged amino acids, to their ability to maintain size control in syntheses carried out either with a robot or a conventional dosing unit.