Polymer nanoparticles: Preparation techniques and size-control parameters

Polymer nanoparticles have attracted the interest of many research groups and have been utilized in an increasing number of fields during the last decades. Generally, two main strategies are employed for their preparation: the dispersion of preformed polymers and the polymerization of monomers. Various techniques can be used to produce polymer nanoparticles, such as solvent evaporation, salting-out, dialysis, supercritical fluid technology, micro-emulsion, mini-emulsion, surfactant-free emulsion, and interfacial polymerization. The choice of method depends on a number of factors, such as, particle size, particle size distribution, area of application, etc. This review covers the general description of the preparation of polymer nanoparticles and the detailed description of the crucial parameters involved in techniques designed to obtain the desired properties. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.