Polymeric nanoparticles: Recent development in synthesis and application

Nanosized particles have attractive characteristics, which have received considerable attention in the last decade. Polymeric nanoparticles (PNP)s are solid particles or particulate dispersions with size in the range of 10-1000 nm. Due to the very small size, the surface area is very large so the percentage of atoms or molecules on the surface is significantly increased, which is expected to have extensive applications in various fields such as drug delivery systems, biosensors, catalysts, nanocomposites, agriculture and environment. The aim of the present paper is to critically review enhancement in the field of synthesis and different application of novel PNPs in various area from drug delivery to composite fabrication. Literature sources were mainly taken from the publications of 2011 and later; though, for a basic depiction of the structural principles, older publications have also been cited.