Fine particle formation using supercritical fluids

The use of supercritical fluids as solvents for the formation of micro- and nano-particles has shown tremendous over the past few years due to increased demands from industry for materials with high performance specifications and high or unique functionality. Supercritical fluids allow synthesis of many types of particles since the solvent's chemical and physical properties can be varied with temperature or pressure, both of which can affect the degree of supersaturation and nucleation. In this review, we describe methods for the formation of fine particles using supercritical fluids CO2 and water. Basic principles and specific features of each solvent are described, and the advantages and limitations are discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.