1. Surface functionality as a means to impact polymer nanoparticle size and structure.
- Author
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Schneider J, Jallouk AP, Vasquez D, Thomann R, Forget A, Pino CJ, and Shastri VP
- Subjects
- Diffusion, Hydrogen Bonding, Microscopy, Electron, Transmission, Nanoparticles ultrastructure, Particle Size, Polyesters chemistry, Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer, Solvents chemistry, Surface Properties, Water chemistry, Acrylic Resins chemistry, Lactic Acid chemistry, Nanoparticles chemistry, Polyglycolic Acid chemistry, Polystyrenes chemistry
- Abstract
When polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are formed by nanoprecipitation, which is a nucleation-growth process, the control over size requires changing the polymer concentration or solvent composition. Here, we demonstrate that the NP size can be controlled independent of polymer variables by introducing a polyelectrolyte (PE) in the aqueous phase. PEs that exhibit hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) yield a reduction in NP size, whereas PEs that do not possess this characteristic promote the formation of larger NPs. The observed effect can be attributed to the formation of a diffusional barrier around the NP in the form of a dense shell. This principle of controlling NP size is not limited to polymers and can also be employed in the production of lipid NPs.
- Published
- 2013
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