Polymer nanoparticles: Preparation techniques and size-control parameters
Introduction
The field of polymer nanoparticles (PNP) is quickly expanding and playing a pivotal role in a wide spectrum of areas ranging from electronics to photonics, conducting materials to sensors, medicine to biotechnology, pollution control to environmental technology, and so forth, during the past decades [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]. This fact can be realized from the ever increasing number of publications as depicted in Fig. 1. This trend is based on their unique properties, which meet a wide range of applications and market needs.
The properties of PNPs have to be optimized depending on the particular application. In order to achieve the properties of interest, the mode of preparation plays a vital role. Thus, it is highly advantageous to have preparation techniques at hand to obtain PNPs with the desired properties for a particular application. Although some information regarding preparation techniques of PNPs is available, it is scattered in the literature and restricted to a few areas. For example, there are a few individual reviews on techniques such as emulsion polymerization and nanoencapsulation [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], but none for other techniques and none integrating all these techniques and considering the size control parameters. Therefore, the objective in this review was to collect and compile this missing information, to update the few previous reviews made on this subject, and also to highlight recent developments.
The aim of this review article is primarily not to provide comprehensive information about a particular method of PNP preparation, but to provide and explain vital criteria and factors involved in the different methods of PNP preparation. We cover not only the different preparation techniques for PNP, but also highlight a series of properties and parameters such as the particle size, particle size distribution, surface area, etc. The particle size and the particle size distribution of PNPs are of great importance because they determine their key properties such as viscosity, surface area, and packing density.
Section snippets
Definition and classification of polymer nanoparticles
Nanoparticles are frequently defined as solid, colloidal particles in the range 10–1000 nm [20], [21]. The term PNP is a collective term given for any type of polymer nanoparticle, but specifically for nanospheres and nanocapsules. Nanospheres are matrix particles, i.e., particles whose entire mass is solid and molecules may be adsorbed at the sphere surface or encapsulated within the particle. In general, they are spherical, but “nanospheres” with a nonspherical shape are also described in the
Overview of the preparation techniques for polymer nanoparticles
PNPs can be conveniently prepared either from preformed polymers or by direct polymerization of monomers using classical polymerization or polyreactions [24]. Methods like solvent evaporation, salting-out, dialysis and supercritical fluid technology, involving the rapid expansion of a supercritical solution or rapid expansion of a supercritical solution into liquid solvent, can be utilized for the preparation of PNP from preformed polymers. On the other hand, PNPs can be directly synthesized by
Dispersion of preformed polymers
Several methods developed and successfully utilized to prepare PNPs by dispersing preformed polymers are discussed in detail in the following sections.
Polymerization of monomers
The techniques discussed previously involve the production of PNPs from preformed polymers and did not involve any polymerization processes. To attain the desired properties for a particular application, suitable polymer nanoparticles must be designed, which can be done during the polymerization of monomers. Processes for the production of PNPs through the polymerization of monomers are discussed, focusing principally on mini-, micro-, and emulsion polymerization techniques as the three major
Conclusions and outlook
The main goal of this review is to provide information about the methods that are available for preparing these fascinating polymer nanoparticles. It was observed that preparing PNPs is a state-of-art technology that requires choosing a suitable technique among the various possible methods, thorough utility of homogenization process, appropriate surfactants, worthy co-surfactant, and suitable initiating system to obtain desired PNPs with optimum property enhancement. Methods like RESS, RESOLV
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the World-Class University (WCU) program through a grant provided by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) of Korea (Project No. R31-2008-000-10026-0).
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