Synthesis and Properties of Inulin Based Microgels

Cross-linked inulin (X-inulin) microparticles were synthesized in reverse micelles using water-in-oil microemulsion polymerization. Linear inulin was crosslinked with divinyl sulfone (DVS) in a sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) inverse microemulsion under basic conditions. These particles were demonstrated to be excellent scaffolds for the in situ synthesis of CdS quantum dots (Q-dots). The inulin-based particles were shown to be non-cytotoxic in fibroblast cell culture, and degradable under acidic and basic conditions. Furthermore, gallic acid and caffeine were used as model drugs for loading and release studies from these particles, illustrating their potential as drug carriers with controlled release. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.