# From synthesis to application: a nanoparticle workflow in pictograms

> A nanoparticle project in 24 editable pictograms: six ways to make the particles, six steps to clean them up and choose their surface, six ways to measure them and six places they are put to work. Every pictogram is a live generator that can be restyled flat, outline or 3D in your colours; the details describe each stage with its references.

- Page: https://www.labcanvas.com/templates/nanomaterial-guides/synthesis-application-nanoparticle-workflow-pictograms
- Open in the LabCanvas editor (LabCanvas account): https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?template=nano-workflow-pictograms
- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Category: Nanomaterial guides
- Method: Workflow pictograms
- Product: A four-stage nanoparticle workflow built from 24 restylable pictograms
- Key result: Pictograms drawn by LabCanvas; the captions only name the methods, and every pictogram can be restyled or swapped from the Nanomaterials pictogram set
- Figure: 1920 × 1080 px, 68 editable layers (24 generated objects with settings)

## Steps

1. **Make**: A rapid hot injection gives a sharp nucleation event and a narrow size distribution (Manthiram 2013), burst nucleation and diffusion-controlled growth being the main factors (Kwon & Hyeon 2011); seeds grow into gold nanorods in CTAB with silver nitrate and ascorbic acid (Wei 2021); magnetite co-precipitates from Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ (2 : 1) with NaOH (Mascolo 2013); a pulsed laser on a metal target under liquid releases particles as a colloid (Subhan 2022); in flame spray pyrolysis primary particles nucleate where the flame core reaches 3500–2500 °C (Dimitriou 2023); microchannels mix in milliseconds (Shen 2024)
2. **Clean up and coat**: More anti-solvent precipitates the largest nanocrystals first, and stepwise addition and centrifugation give fractions of decreasing size (Krieg 2021). Citrate is both the reducing agent and the ligand of Turkevich gold (Bilal 2025); alkanethiols protect Brust–Schiffrin gold (Booth 2017); CTAB binds mainly along the middle of gold nanorods (Wei 2021); a silica shell and 5 kDa PEG took 10 nm Fe@FeOₓ cores to hydrodynamic diameters in the 100 nm range (Mathieu 2019); anti-EGFR antibodies bound gold nanorods to cancer cells (Huang 2006)
3. **Measure**: DLS gives the hydrodynamic radius from the diffusion coefficient (Stetefeld 2016); the zeta potential is the potential at the slipping plane (Kaszuba 2010); in SAXS the 2D pattern is radially integrated to I(q) (Di Cola 2016), and solution SAXS sees monodisperse nanocrystals in their colloidal state (Krieg 2021); a drop on a holey-carbon grid, drawn through into a tissue and dried in air, prepares a TEM sample (Tuoriniemi 2014); ICP-MS separates the ions of a digested, nebulised sample by mass-to-charge ratio (Resano 2022); VSM measures the magnetisation under varying field and temperature (Amorim 2025)
4. **Put to work**: Gold nanorods absorb strongly in the near infrared (650–900 nm) and, like nanoshells, heat tumours from light applied outside the body (Huang 2006; Hirsch 2003); superparamagnetic particles darken their region in MRI (Vuong 2017), while USPIO and Gd-based particles enhance T1 images (Luo 2020); a lateral flow strip shows its result within 5–30 min (Koczula 2016); three-way catalysts carry Pd, Pt and Rh on a CeO₂–ZrO₂ washcoat (Yakoumis 2021); quantum-dot films on blue micro-LEDs convert the light and hold back the blue (Hyun 2021); TiO₂ and ZnO sunscreens absorb UV across their band gap (Cole 2016)

## References

1. Manthiram et al., “Seeded synthesis of CdSe/CdS rod and tetrapod nanocrystals”, J. Vis. Exp. 2013. https://doi.org/10.3791/50731 (primary)
2. Kwon & Hyeon, “Formation mechanisms of uniform nanocrystals via hot-injection and heat-up methods”, Small 2011. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201002022 (primary)
3. Wei et al., “Seed-mediated synthesis of gold nanorods at low concentrations of CTAB”, ACS Omega 2021. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.1c00510 (primary)
4. Mascolo, Pei & Ring, “Room temperature co-precipitation synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles in a large pH window with different bases”, Materials 2013. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma6125549 (primary)
5. Subhan, Mourad & Al-Douri, “Influence of laser process parameters, liquid medium, and external field on the synthesis of colloidal metal nanoparticles using pulsed laser ablation in liquid: a review”, Nanomaterials 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12132144 (primary)
6. Dimitriou et al., “Advanced flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) technologies for engineering multifunctional nanostructures and nanodevices”, Nanomaterials 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13233006 (primary)
7. Shen, Gwak & Han, “Advanced manufacturing of nanoparticle formulations of drugs and biologics using microfluidics”, Analyst 2024. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3an01739g (primary)
8. Krieg et al., “Monodisperse long-chain sulfobetaine-capped CsPbBr3 nanocrystals and their superfluorescent assemblies”, ACS Cent. Sci. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.0c01153 (primary)
9. Bilal & Bandyopadhyay, “Controlled growth of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles using a semi-continuous seed-mediated route”, Discov. Nano 2025. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-025-04189-8 (primary)
10. Booth et al., “The significance of bromide in the Brust–Schiffrin synthesis of thiol protected gold nanoparticles”, Chem. Sci. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7sc03266h (primary)
11. Mathieu et al., “Silica coated iron/iron oxide nanoparticles as a nano-platform for T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging”, Molecules 2019. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24244629 (primary)
12. Huang, El-Sayed, Qian & El-Sayed, “Cancer cell imaging and photothermal therapy in the near-infrared region by using gold nanorods”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja057254a (primary)
13. Stetefeld, McKenna & Patel, “Dynamic light scattering: a practical guide and applications in biomedical sciences”, Biophys. Rev. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12551-016-0218-6 (primary)
14. Kaszuba et al., “High-concentration zeta potential measurements using light-scattering techniques”, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 2010. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2010.0175 (primary)
15. Di Cola, Grillo & Ristori, “Small angle X-ray and neutron scattering: powerful tools for studying the structure of drug-loaded liposomes”, Pharmaceutics 2016. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics8020010 (primary)
16. Tuoriniemi et al., “Intermethod comparison of the particle size distributions of colloidal silica nanoparticles”, Sci. Technol. Adv. Mater. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1088/1468-6996/15/3/035009 (primary)
17. Resano et al., “Living in a transient world: ICP-MS reinvented via time-resolved analysis for monitoring single events”, Chem. Sci. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1sc05452j (primary)
18. Amorim, “A compendium of magnetic nanoparticle essentials: a comprehensive guide for beginners and experts”, Pharmaceutics 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17010137 (primary)
19. Hirsch et al., “Nanoshell-mediated near-infrared thermal therapy of tumors under magnetic resonance guidance”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2003. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2232479100 (primary)
20. Vuong, Gillis, Roch & Gossuin, “Magnetic resonance relaxation induced by superparamagnetic particles used as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging: a theoretical review”, WIREs Nanomed. Nanobiotechnol. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1002/wnan.1468 (primary)
21. Luo et al., “Molecular magnetic resonance imaging with contrast agents for assessment of inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review”, Contrast Media Mol. Imaging 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/4764985 (primary)
22. Koczula & Gallotta, “Lateral flow assays”, Essays Biochem. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1042/EBC20150012 (primary)
23. Yakoumis, “PROMETHEUS: a copper-based polymetallic catalyst for automotive applications. Part I: synthesis and characterization”, Materials 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14030622 (primary)
24. Hyun et al., “Dual role of quantum dots as color conversion layer and suppression of input light for full-color micro-LED displays”, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c00321 (primary)
25. Cole, Shyr & Ou-Yang, “Metal oxide sunscreens protect skin by absorption, not by reflection or scattering”, Photodermatol. Photoimmunol. Photomed. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpp.12214 (primary)

Credit: Drawn by LabCanvas after Kwon & Hyeon, Small 2011 (doi:10.1002/smll.201002022), Krieg et al., ACS Cent. Sci. 2021, Stetefeld, McKenna & Patel, Biophys. Rev. 2016 and Kaszuba et al., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 2010, and the papers in the details.

## Questions

**What does the “From synthesis to application: a nanoparticle workflow in pictograms” template show?** A nanoparticle project in 24 editable pictograms: six ways to make the particles, six steps to clean them up and choose their surface, six ways to measure them and six places they are put to work. Every pictogram is a live generator that can be restyled flat, outline or 3D in your colours; the details describe each stage with its references.

**What are the steps shown in “From synthesis to application: a nanoparticle workflow in pictograms”?** 1. Make: A rapid hot injection gives a sharp nucleation event and a narrow size distribution (Manthiram 2013), burst nucleation and diffusion-controlled growth being the main factors (Kwon & Hyeon 2011); seeds grow into gold nanorods in CTAB with silver nitrate and ascorbic acid (Wei 2021); magnetite co-precipitates from Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ (2 : 1) with NaOH (Mascolo 2013); a pulsed laser on a metal target under liquid releases particles as a colloid (Subhan 2022); in flame spray pyrolysis primary particles nucleate where the flame core reaches 3500–2500 °C (Dimitriou 2023); microchannels mix in milliseconds (Shen 2024). 2. Clean up and coat: More anti-solvent precipitates the largest nanocrystals first, and stepwise addition and centrifugation give fractions of decreasing size (Krieg 2021). Citrate is both the reducing agent and the ligand of Turkevich gold (Bilal 2025); alkanethiols protect Brust–Schiffrin gold (Booth 2017); CTAB binds mainly along the middle of gold nanorods (Wei 2021); a silica shell and 5 kDa PEG took 10 nm Fe@FeOₓ cores to hydrodynamic diameters in the 100 nm range (Mathieu 2019); anti-EGFR antibodies bound gold nanorods to cancer cells (Huang 2006). 3. Measure: DLS gives the hydrodynamic radius from the diffusion coefficient (Stetefeld 2016); the zeta potential is the potential at the slipping plane (Kaszuba 2010); in SAXS the 2D pattern is radially integrated to I(q) (Di Cola 2016), and solution SAXS sees monodisperse nanocrystals in their colloidal state (Krieg 2021); a drop on a holey-carbon grid, drawn through into a tissue and dried in air, prepares a TEM sample (Tuoriniemi 2014); ICP-MS separates the ions of a digested, nebulised sample by mass-to-charge ratio (Resano 2022); VSM measures the magnetisation under varying field and temperature (Amorim 2025). 4. Put to work: Gold nanorods absorb strongly in the near infrared (650–900 nm) and, like nanoshells, heat tumours from light applied outside the body (Huang 2006; Hirsch 2003); superparamagnetic particles darken their region in MRI (Vuong 2017), while USPIO and Gd-based particles enhance T1 images (Luo 2020); a lateral flow strip shows its result within 5–30 min (Koczula 2016); three-way catalysts carry Pd, Pt and Rh on a CeO₂–ZrO₂ washcoat (Yakoumis 2021); quantum-dot films on blue micro-LEDs convert the light and hold back the blue (Hyun 2021); TiO₂ and ZnO sunscreens absorb UV across their band gap (Cole 2016).

**Which papers is “From synthesis to application: a nanoparticle workflow in pictograms” based on?** Manthiram et al., “Seeded synthesis of CdSe/CdS rod and tetrapod nanocrystals”, J. Vis. Exp. 2013 (doi:10.3791/50731); Kwon & Hyeon, “Formation mechanisms of uniform nanocrystals via hot-injection and heat-up methods”, Small 2011 (doi:10.1002/smll.201002022); Wei et al., “Seed-mediated synthesis of gold nanorods at low concentrations of CTAB”, ACS Omega 2021 (doi:10.1021/acsomega.1c00510); Mascolo, Pei & Ring, “Room temperature co-precipitation synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles in a large pH window with different bases”, Materials 2013 (doi:10.3390/ma6125549); Subhan, Mourad & Al-Douri, “Influence of laser process parameters, liquid medium, and external field on the synthesis of colloidal metal nanoparticles using pulsed laser ablation in liquid: a review”, Nanomaterials 2022 (doi:10.3390/nano12132144); Dimitriou et al., “Advanced flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) technologies for engineering multifunctional nanostructures and nanodevices”, Nanomaterials 2023 (doi:10.3390/nano13233006); Shen, Gwak & Han, “Advanced manufacturing of nanoparticle formulations of drugs and biologics using microfluidics”, Analyst 2024 (doi:10.1039/d3an01739g); Krieg et al., “Monodisperse long-chain sulfobetaine-capped CsPbBr3 nanocrystals and their superfluorescent assemblies”, ACS Cent. Sci. 2021 (doi:10.1021/acscentsci.0c01153); Bilal & Bandyopadhyay, “Controlled growth of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles using a semi-continuous seed-mediated route”, Discov. Nano 2025 (doi:10.1186/s11671-025-04189-8); Booth et al., “The significance of bromide in the Brust–Schiffrin synthesis of thiol protected gold nanoparticles”, Chem. Sci. 2017 (doi:10.1039/c7sc03266h); Mathieu et al., “Silica coated iron/iron oxide nanoparticles as a nano-platform for T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging”, Molecules 2019 (doi:10.3390/molecules24244629); Huang, El-Sayed, Qian & El-Sayed, “Cancer cell imaging and photothermal therapy in the near-infrared region by using gold nanorods”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006 (doi:10.1021/ja057254a); Stetefeld, McKenna & Patel, “Dynamic light scattering: a practical guide and applications in biomedical sciences”, Biophys. Rev. 2016 (doi:10.1007/s12551-016-0218-6); Kaszuba et al., “High-concentration zeta potential measurements using light-scattering techniques”, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 2010 (doi:10.1098/rsta.2010.0175); Di Cola, Grillo & Ristori, “Small angle X-ray and neutron scattering: powerful tools for studying the structure of drug-loaded liposomes”, Pharmaceutics 2016 (doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics8020010); Tuoriniemi et al., “Intermethod comparison of the particle size distributions of colloidal silica nanoparticles”, Sci. Technol. Adv. Mater. 2014 (doi:10.1088/1468-6996/15/3/035009); Resano et al., “Living in a transient world: ICP-MS reinvented via time-resolved analysis for monitoring single events”, Chem. Sci. 2022 (doi:10.1039/d1sc05452j); Amorim, “A compendium of magnetic nanoparticle essentials: a comprehensive guide for beginners and experts”, Pharmaceutics 2025 (doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics17010137); Hirsch et al., “Nanoshell-mediated near-infrared thermal therapy of tumors under magnetic resonance guidance”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2003 (doi:10.1073/pnas.2232479100); Vuong, Gillis, Roch & Gossuin, “Magnetic resonance relaxation induced by superparamagnetic particles used as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging: a theoretical review”, WIREs Nanomed. Nanobiotechnol. 2017 (doi:10.1002/wnan.1468); Luo et al., “Molecular magnetic resonance imaging with contrast agents for assessment of inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review”, Contrast Media Mol. Imaging 2020 (doi:10.1155/2020/4764985); Koczula & Gallotta, “Lateral flow assays”, Essays Biochem. 2016 (doi:10.1042/EBC20150012); Yakoumis, “PROMETHEUS: a copper-based polymetallic catalyst for automotive applications. Part I: synthesis and characterization”, Materials 2021 (doi:10.3390/ma14030622); Hyun et al., “Dual role of quantum dots as color conversion layer and suppression of input light for full-color micro-LED displays”, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2021 (doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c00321); Cole, Shyr & Ou-Yang, “Metal oxide sunscreens protect skin by absorption, not by reflection or scattering”, Photodermatol. Photoimmunol. Photomed. 2016 (doi:10.1111/phpp.12214).

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