Capillary mechanisms in membrane emulsification: oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by Tween 20 and milk proteins

Minimum surfactant concentration required for inducing self-shaping of oil droplets and competitive adsorption effects

Surfactant choice is key in starting the phenomena of artificial morphogenesis, the bottom-up growth of geometric particles from cooled emulsion droplets, as well as the bottom-up self-assembly of rechargeable microswimmer robots from similar droplets. The choice of surfactant is crucial for the formation of a plastic phase at the oil-water interface, for the kinetics, and for the onset temperature of these processes. But further details are needed to control these processes for bottom-up manufacturing and understand their molecular mechanisms. Still unknown are the minimum concentration of the surfactant necessary to induce the processes, or competing effects in a mixture of surfactants when only one is capable of inducing shapes. Here we systematically study the effect of surfactant nature and concentration on the shape-inducing behaviour of hexadecane-in-water emulsions with both cationic (CTAB) and non-ionic (Tween, Brij) surfactants over up to five orders of magnitude of concentration. The minimum effective concentration is found approximately equal to the critical micelle concentration (CMC), or the solubility limit below the Krafft point of the surfactant. However, the emulsions show low stability at the vicinity of CMC. In a mixed surfactant experiment (Tween 60 and Tween 20), where only one (Tween 60) can induce shapes we elucidate the role of competition at the interface during mixed surfactant adsorption by varying the composition. We find that a lower bound of ∼75% surface coverage of the shape-inducing surfactant with C14 or longer chain length is necessary for self-shaping to occur. The resulting technique produces a clear visual readout of otherwise difficult to investigate molecular events. These basic requirements (minimum concentration and % surface coverage to induce oil self-shaping) and the related experimental techniques are expected to guide academic and industrial scientists to formulations with complex surfactant mixtures and behaviour.

Pickering emulsions stabilized by carboxylated nanodiamonds over a broad pH range

HYPOTHESIS

Surfactants in emulsions sometimes do not provide adequate stability against coalescence, whereas Pickering emulsions often offer greater stability. In a search for stabilizers offering biocompatibility, we hypothesized that carboxylated nanodiamonds (ND) would impart stability to Pickering emulsions.

EXPERIMENTS

We successfully prepared Pickering emulsions of sunflower oil in water via two different methods: membrane emulsification and probe sonication. The first method was only possible when the pH of the aqueous ND suspension was ≤ 4.

FINDINGS

Pendant-drop tensiometry confirmed that carboxylated ND is adsorbed at the oil/water interface, with a greater decrease in interfacial tension found with increasing ND concentrations in the aqueous phase. The carboxylated ND become more hydrophilic with increasing pH, according to three-phase contact angle analysis, because of deprotonation of the carboxylic acid groups. Membrane emulsification yielded larger (about 30 µm) oil droplets, probe sonication produced smaller (sub-μm) oil droplets. The Pickering emulsions show high stability against mechanical vibration and long-term storage for one year. They remain stable against coalescence across a wide range of pH values. Sonicated emulsions show stability against creaming. In this first-ever systematic study of carboxylated ND-stabilized Pickering emulsions, we demonstrate a promising application in the delivery of β-carotene, as a model active ingredient.

Mapping Bubble Formation and Coalescence in a Tubular Cross-Flow Membrane Foaming System

Membrane foaming is a promising alternative to conventional foaming methods to produce uniform bubbles. In this study, we provide a fundamental study of a cross-flow membrane foaming (CFMF) system to understand and control bubble formation for various process conditions and fluid properties. Observations with high spatial and temporal resolution allowed us to study bubble formation and bubble coalescence processes simultaneously. Bubble formation time and the snap-off bubble size (D0) were primarily controlled by the continuous phase flow rate (Qc); they decreased as Qc increased, from 1.64 to 0.13 ms and from 125 to 49 µm. Coalescence resulted in an increase in bubble size (Dcoal>D0), which can be strongly reduced by increasing either continuous phase viscosity or protein concentration-factors that only slightly influence D0. Particularly, in a 2.5 wt % whey protein system, coalescence could be suppressed with a coefficient of variation below 20%. The stabilizing effect is ascribed to the convective transport of proteins and the intersection of timescales (i.e., μs to ms) of bubble formation and protein adsorption. Our study provides insights into the membrane foaming process at relevant (micro-) length and time scales and paves the way for its further development and application.

Nanopore and Nanoparticle Formation with Lipids Undergoing Polymorphic Phase Transitions

We describe several unexpected phenomena, caused by a solid-solid phase transition (gel-to-crystal) typical for all main classes of lipid substances: phospholipids, triglycerides, diglycerides, alkanes, etc. We discovered that this transition leads to spontaneous formation of a network of nanopores, spreading across the entire lipid structure. These nanopores are spontaneously impregnated (flooded) by water when appropriate surfactants are present, thus fracturing the lipid structure at a nanoscale. As a result, spontaneous disintegration of the lipid into nanoparticles or formation of double emulsions is observed, just by cooling and heating of an initial coarse lipid-in-water dispersion around the lipid melting temperature. The process of nanoparticle formation is effective even after incorporation of medical drugs of high load, up to 50% in the lipid phase. The role of the main governing factors is clarified, the procedure is optimized, and the possibility for its scaling-up to industrially relevant amounts is demonstrated.

Multilayer Formation in Self-Shaping Emulsion Droplets

In several recent studies, we showed that micrometer-sized oil-in-water emulsion droplets from alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, triglycerides, or mixtures of these components can spontaneously "self-shape" upon cooling into various regular shapes, such as regular polyhedrons, platelets, rods, and fibers ( Denkov , N. , Nature 2015 , 528 , 392 ; Cholakova , D. , Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 2016 , 235 , 90 ). These drop-shape transformations were explained by assuming that intermediate plastic rotator phase, composed of ordered multilayers of oily molecules, is formed beneath the drop surface around the oil-freezing temperature. An alternative explanation was proposed ( Guttman , S. , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2016 113 , 493 ; Guttman , S. , Langmuir 2017 , 33 , 1305 ), which is based on the assumption that the oil-water interfacial tension decreases to very low values upon emulsion cooling. Here, we present new results, obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), which quantify the enthalpy effects accompanying the drop-shape transformations. Using optical microscopy, we related the peaks in the DSC thermograms to the specific changes in the drop shape. Furthermore, from the enthalpies measured by DSC, we determined the fraction of the intermediate phase involved in the processes of drop deformation. The obtained results support the explanation that the drop-shape transformations are intimately related to the formation of ordered multilayers of alkane molecules with thickness varying between several and dozens of layers of alkane molecules, depending on the specific system. The new results provide the basis for a rational approach to the mechanistic explanation and to the fine control of this fascinating and industrially relevant phenomenon.

Poly (ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles (PECA-NPs) as possible agents in tumor treatment

Tumor eradication has many challenges due to the difficulty of selectively delivering anticancer drugs to malignant cells avoiding contact with healthy tissues/organs. The improvement of antitumor efficacy and the reduction of systemic side effects can be achieved using drug loaded nanoparticles. In this study, poly (ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles (PECA-NPs) were prepared using an emulsion polymerization method and their potential for cancer treatment was investigated. The size, polydispersity index and zeta potential of prepared nanoparticles are about 80 nm, 0.08 and -39.7 mV, respectively. The stability test shows that the formulation is stable for 15 days, while an increase in particle size occurs after 30 days. TEM reveals the spherical morphology of nanoparticles; furthermore, FTIR and ¹H NMR analyses confirm the structure of PECA-NPs and the complete polymerization. The nanoparticles demonstrate an in vitro concentration-dependent cytotoxicity against human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines (Caco-2), as assessed by MTT assay. The anticancer activity of PECA-NPs was studied on 3D tumor spheroids models of hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and kidney adenocarcinoma cells (A498) to better understand how the nanoparticles could interact with a complex structure such as a tumor. The results confirm the antitumor activity of PECA-NPs. Therefore, these systems can be considered good candidates in tumor treatment.

Mechanisms and Control of Self-Emulsification upon Freezing and Melting of Dispersed Alkane Drops

Emulsification requires drop breakage and creation of a large interfacial area between immiscible liquid phases. Usually, high-shear or high-pressure emulsification devices that generate heat and increase the emulsion temperature are used to obtain emulsions with micrometer and submicrometer droplets. Recently, we reported a new, efficient procedure of self-emulsification (Tcholakova et al. Nat. Commun. 2017, 8, 15012), which consists of one to several cycles of freezing and melting of predispersed alkane drops in a coarse oil-in-water emulsion. Within these freeze-thaw cycles of the dispersed drops, the latter burst spontaneously into hundreds and thousands of smaller droplets without using any mechanical agitation. Here, we clarify the main factors and mechanisms, which drive this self-emulsification process, by exploring systematically the effects of the oil and surfactant types, the cooling rate, and the initial drop size. We show that the typical size of the droplets, generated by this method, is controlled by the size of the structural domains formed in the cooling-freezing stage of the procedure. Depending on the leading mechanism, these could be the diameter of the fibers formed upon drop self-shaping or the size of the crystal domains formed at the moment of drop-freezing. Generally, surfactant tails that are 0-2 carbon atoms longer than the oil molecules are most appropriate to observe efficient self-emulsification. The specific requirements for the realization of different mechanisms are clarified and discussed. The relative efficiencies of the three different mechanisms, as a function of the droplet size and cooling procedure, are compared in controlled experiments to provide guidance for understanding and further optimization and scale-up of this self-emulsification process.

"Self-Shaping" of Multicomponent Drops

In our recent study we showed that single-component emulsion drops, stabilized by proper surfactants, can spontaneously break symmetry and transform into various polygonal shapes during cooling [ Denkov Nature 2015 , 528 , 392 - 395 ]. This process involves the formation of a plastic rotator phase of self-assembled oil molecules beneath the drop surface. The plastic phase spontaneously forms a frame of plastic rods at the oil drop perimeter which supports the polygonal shapes. However, most of the common substances used in industry appear as mixtures of molecules rather than pure substances. Here we present a systematic study of the ability of multicomponent emulsion drops to deform upon cooling. The observed trends can be summarized as follows: (1) The general drop-shape evolution for multicomponent drops during cooling is the same as with single-component drops; however, some additional shapes are observed. (2) Preservation of the particle shape upon freezing is possible for alkane mixtures with chain length difference Δn ≤ 4; for greater Δn, phase separation within the droplet is observed. (3) Multicomponent particles prepared from alkanes with Δn ≤ 4 plastify upon cooling due to the formation of a bulk rotator phase within the particles. (4) If a compound, which cannot induce self-shaping when pure, is mixed with a certain amount of a compound which induces self-shaping, then drops prepared from this mixture can also self-shape upon cooling. (5) Self-emulsification phenomena are also observed for multicomponent drops. In addition to the three recently reported mechanisms of self-emulsification [ Tcholakova Nat. Commun. 2017 , ( 8 ), 15012 ], a new (fourth) mechanism is observed upon freezing for alkane mixtures with Δn > 4. It involves disintegration of the particles due to a phase separation of alkanes upon freezing.

Efficient self-emulsification via cooling-heating cycles

In self-emulsification higher-energy micrometre and sub-micrometre oil droplets are spontaneously produced from larger ones and only a few such methods are known. They usually involve a one-time reduction in oil solubility in the continuous medium via changing temperature or solvents or a phase inversion in which the preferred curvature of the interfacial surfactant layer changes its sign. Here we harness narrow-range temperature cycling to cause repeated breakup of droplets to higher-energy states. We describe three drop breakup mechanisms that lead the drops to burst spontaneously into thousands of smaller droplets. One of these mechanisms includes the remarkable phenomenon of lipid crystal dewetting from its own melt. The method works with various oil-surfactant combinations and has several important advantages. It enables low surfactant emulsion formulations with temperature-sensitive compounds, is scalable to industrial emulsification and applicable to fabricating particulate drug carriers with desired size and shape.

A 2.5-D glass micromodel for investigation of multi-phase flow in porous media

We developed a novel method for fabrication of glass micromodels with varying depth (2.5-D) with no additional complexity over the 2-D micromodels' fabrication. Compared to a 2-D micromodel, the 2.5-D micromodel can better represent the 3-D features of multi-phase flow in real porous media, as demonstrated in this paper with three different examples. Physically realistic capillary snap-off and the formation of isolated residual oil droplets were realized, which is not possible in 2-D micromodels. Droplet size variation during an emulsion flooding was investigated on the 2.5-D micromodel, showing that the droplet size decreases sharply at the inlet, with little change in size downstream of the micromodel. Displacement of light oil with ultra-low interfacial tension (IFT) surfactant was conducted in the 2.5-D micromodel, where we were able to visualize the generation and flowing of a microemulsion phase, which agrees with, and explains observations in experiments of more complex porous media.

Control of drop shape transformations in cooled emulsions

The general mechanisms of structure and form generation are the keys to understanding the fundamental processes of morphogenesis in living and non-living systems. In our recent study (Denkov et al., Nature 528 (2015) 392) we showed that micrometer sized n-alkane drops, dispersed in aqueous surfactant solutions, can break symmetry upon cooling and "self-shape" into a series of geometric shapes with complex internal structure. This phenomenon is important in two contexts, as it provides: (a) new, highly efficient bottom-up approach for producing particles with complex shapes, and (b) remarkably simple system, from the viewpoint of its chemical composition, which exhibits the basic processes of structure and shape transformations, reminiscent of morphogenesis events in living organisms. In the current study, we show for the first time that drops of other chemical substances, such as long-chain alcohols, triglycerides, alkyl cyclohexanes, and linear alkenes, can also evolve spontaneously into similar non-spherical shapes. We demonstrate that the main factors which control the drop "self-shaping", are the surfactant type and chain length, cooling rate, and initial drop size. The studied surfactants are classified into four distinct groups, with respect to their effect on the "self-shaping" phenomenon. Coherent explanations of the main experimental trends are proposed. The obtained results open new prospects for fundamental and applied research in several fields, as they demonstrate that: (1) very simple chemical systems may show complex structure and shape shifts, similar to those observed in living organisms; (2) the molecular self-assembly in frustrated confinement may result in complex events, governed by the laws of elasto-capillarity and tensegrity; (3) the surfactant type and cooling rate could be used to obtain micro-particles with desired shapes and aspect ratios; and (4) the systems studied serve as a powerful toolbox to investigate systematically these phenomena.

On the Mechanism of Drop Self-Shaping in Cooled Emulsions

Two recent studies (Denkov et al., Nature 2015, 528, 392 and Guttman et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.2016, 113, 493) demonstrated that micrometer-sized n-alkane drops, dispersed in aqueous surfactant solutions, can break their spherical symmetry upon cooling and self-shape into a variety of regular shapes, such as fluid polyhedra, platelet-shaped hexagons, triangles, rhomboids, toroids, and submicrometer-diameter fibers. In the first study, the observed phenomenon was explained by a mechanism involving the formation of interfacial multilayer of self-assembled alkane molecules in the so-called rotator phases, templated by the frozen surfactant adsorption layer. Such phases are known to form in alkane droplets under similar conditions and are sufficiently strong to deform the droplets against the capillary pressure of a finite interfacial tension of several mN/m. The authors of the second study proposed a different explanation, namely, that the oil-water interfacial tension becomes ultralow upon cooling, which allows for surface extension and drop deformation at negligible energy penalty. To reveal which of these mechanisms is operative, we measure in the current study the temperature dependence of the interfacial tensions of several systems undergoing such drop-shape transitions. Our results unambiguously show that drop self-shaping is not related to ultralow oil-water interfacial tension, as proposed by Guttmann et al. These results support the mechanism proposed by Denkov et al., which implies that the large bending moment, required to deform an oil-water interface with an interfacial tension of 5 to 10 mN/m, is generated by an interfacial multilayer of self-assembled alkane molecules.

Preparation of uniform particle-stabilized emulsions using SPG membrane emulsification

Various aspects of particle-stabilized emulsions (or so-called Pickering emulsions) have been extensively investigated during the last two decades, but the preparation of uniform Pickering emulsion droplets via a simple and scalable method has been sparingly realized. We report the preparation of uniform Pickering emulsions by Shirasu porous glass (SPG) membrane emulsification. The size of the emulsion droplets ranging from 10-50 μm can be precisely controlled by the size of the membrane pore. The emulsion droplets have a high monodispersity with coefficients of variation (CV) lower than 15% in all of the investigated systems. We further demonstrate the feasibility of locking the assembled particles at the interface, and emulsion droplets have been shown to be excellent templates for the preparation of monodisperse colloidosomes that are necessary in drug-delivery systems.

Advances in membrane emulsification. Part A: recent developments in processing aspects and microstructural design approaches

Modern emulsion processing technology is strongly influenced by the market demands for products that are microstructure-driven and possess precisely controlled properties. Novel cost-effective processing techniques, such as membrane emulsification, have been explored and customised in the search for better control over the microstructure, and subsequently the quality of the final product. Part A of this review reports on the state of the art in membrane emulsification techniques, focusing on novel membrane materials and proof of concept experimental set-ups. Engineering advantages and limitations of a range of membrane techniques are critically discussed and linked to a variety of simple and complex structures (e.g. foams, particulates, liposomes etc.) produced specifically using those techniques.

Designer colloids in structured food for the future

Recent advances in the understanding of colloids has enabled the design of food products that are healthier and tastier, in line with consumer expectations. Specifically, emulsion design and hydrocolloid structuring can be used to address the issue of fat reduction in foods by allowing the production of reduced fat products that provide similar sensory attributes. Additionally, various techniques for encapsulating molecules, such as flavour, nutraceuticals or drugs, are now being developed. The application of such techniques in food products can improve micronutrient bioavailability by means of targeted and controlled delivery, increasing the nutritional value. Colloidal structures can also be designed to enhance consumer experience, mimic fat or control satiety. Such novel improvements, as well as their potential translation into commercial food products, are highlighted in this paper, which focuses primarily on the areas of emulsion technologies and hydrocolloids.

Breakup of bubbles and drops in steadily sheared foams and concentrated emulsions

This experimental study is focused on the process of bubble breakup in steadily sheared foams, at constant shear rate or constant shear stress. Two different types of surfactants were used and glycerol was added to the aqueous phase, to check how the bubble breakup depends on the surface modulus and on bulk viscosity of the foaming solutions. The experiments show that bubble breakup in foams occurs above a well defined critical dimensionless stress, tau[over]CR identical with(tauCRR/sigma) approximately 0.40, which is independent of surfactant used, solution viscosity, and bubble volume fraction (varied between 92 and 98%). Here tauCR is the dimensional shear stress, above which a bubble with radius R and surface tension sigma would break in sheared foam. The value of the critical stress experimentally found by us tau[over]CR approximately 0.40, is about two orders of magnitude lower than the critical stress for breakup of single bubbles in sheared Newtonian liquids, tau[over]CR approximately 25. This large difference in the critical stress is explained by the strong interaction between neighboring bubbles in densely populated foams, which facilitates bubble subdivision into smaller bubbles. A strong effect of bubble polydispersity on the kinetics of bubble breakup (at similar mean bubble size) was observed and explained. Experiments were also performed with hexadecane-in-water emulsions of drop volume fraction 83%<or=Phi<or=95% to study drop breakup in concentrated emulsions. Qualitatively similar behavior was observed to that of foams, with the critical dimensionless stress for drop breakup being lower, tau[over]CR approximately 0.15, and practically independent of the drop volume fraction and viscosity ratio (varied between 0.01 and 1). This critical stress is by several times lower than the critical stress for breakage of single drops in sheared Newtonian fluids at comparable viscosity ratio, which evidences for facilitated drop subdivision in concentrated emulsions. To explain the measured low values of the critical stress, a different type of capillary instability of the breaking bubbles and drops in concentrated foams and emulsions is proposed and discussed.

The drop size in membrane emulsification determined from the balance of capillary and hydrodynamic forces

Here, we investigate experimentally and theoretically the factors that determine the size of the emulsion droplets produced by membrane emulsification in "batch regime" (without applied crossflow). Hydrophilic glass membranes of pore diameters between 1 and 10 mum have been used to obtain oil-in-water emulsions. The working surfactant concentrations are high enough to prevent drop coalescence. Under such conditions, the size of the formed drops does not depend on the surfactant type and concentration, on the interfacial tension, or on the increase of viscosity of the inner (oil) phase. The drops are monodisperse when the working transmembrane pressure is slightly above the critical pressure for drop breakup. At higher pressures, the size distribution becomes bimodal: a superposition of a "normal" peak of monodisperse drops and an "anomalous" peak of polydisperse drops is observed. The theoretical model assumes that, at the moment of breakup, the hydrodynamic ejection force acting on the drop is equal to the critical capillary force that corresponds to the stability-instability transition in the drop shape. The derived equations are applied to predict the mean size of the obtained drops in regimes of constant flow rate and constant transmembrane pressure. Agreement between theory and experiment is established for the latter regime, which corresponds to our experimental conditions. The transition from unimodal to bimodal drop size distribution upon increase of the transmembrane pressure can be interpreted in terms of the transition from "dripping" to "jetting" mechanisms of drop detachment.

Hydrodynamic forces acting on a microscopic emulsion drop growing at a capillary tip in relation to the process of membrane emulsification

Here, we calculate the hydrodynamic ejection force acting on a microscopic emulsion drop, which is continuously growing at a capillary tip. This force could cause drop detachment in the processes of membrane and microchannel emulsification, and affect the size of the released drops. The micrometer-sized drops are not deformed by gravity and their formation happens at small Reynolds numbers despite the fact that the typical period of drop generation is of the order of 0.1 s. Under such conditions, the flow of the disperse phase through the capillary, as it inflates the droplet, engenders a hydrodynamic force, which has a predominantly viscous (rather than inertial) origin. The hydrodynamic boundary problem is solved numerically, by using appropriate curvilinear coordinates. The spatial distributions of the stream function and the velocity components are computed. The hydrodynamic force acting on the drop is expressed in terms of three universal functions of the ratio of the pore and drop radii. These functions are computed numerically. Interpolation formulas are obtained for their easier calculation. It turns out that the increase in the viscosity of each of the two liquid phases increases the total ejection force. The results could find applications for the interpretation and prediction of the effect of hydrodynamic factors on the drop size in membrane emulsification.

Emulsification in turbulent flow

Systematic experimental study of the effects of several factors on the breakage rate constant, k(BR), during emulsification in turbulent flow is performed. These factors are the drop size, interfacial tension, viscosity of the oil phase, and rate of energy dissipation in the flow. As starting oil-water premixes we use emulsions containing monodisperse oil drops, which have been generated by the method of membrane emulsification. By passing these premixes through a narrow-gap homogenizer, working in turbulent regime of emulsification, we study the evolution of the number concentration of the drops with given diameter, as a function of the emulsification time. The experimental data are analyzed by a kinetic scheme, which takes into account the generation of drops of a given size (as a result of breakage of larger drops) and their disappearance (as a result of their own breakage process). The experimental results for k(BR) are compared with theoretical expressions from the literature and their modifications. The results for all systems could be described reasonably well by an explicit expression, which is a product of: (a) the frequency of collisions between drops and turbulent eddies of similar size, and (b) the efficiency of drop breakage, which depends on the energy required for drop deformation. The drop deformation energy contains two contributions, originating from the drop surface extension and from the viscous dissipation inside the breaking drop. In the related subsequent paper, the size distribution of the daughter drops formed in the process of drop breakage is analyzed for the same experimental systems.

Interfacial aspects of water drop formation at micro-engineered orifices

The formation of emulsions with micro-engineered silicon based arrays of micro-orifices is a relatively new technique. Until now, only the preparation of oil-in-water emulsions was studied due to the hydrophilic nature of silicon. This work evaluates the emulsification of water into n-hexadecane with hydrophobized arrays of micro-orifices. We have studied the drop formation rate, the number of active pores and the drop size. In contrast to conventional macroporous membranes used for membrane emulsification, we observed high dispersed phase fluxes up to 4600 L h(-1) m(-2) bar(-1) while all pores being active at applied pressures below 2 times the critical pressure. The drop diameter was independent from the applied pressure difference. We observed a pressure dependent lag time between drop formations at low emulsification pressures. The lag time is related to the rate of surfactant diffusion to the water-oil interface causing a reduction of the interfacial tension. A significant influence of the used hydrophobization agents, perfluorinated octyltrichlorosilane (FOTS) and octyltrichlorosilane (OTS), was found for the resulting drop sizes and the number of active pores.

Preparation and characterization of spironolactone-loaded nanocapsules for paediatric use

Spironolactone is a steroidal diuretic showing incomplete oral behaviour because of its low solubility and slow dissolution rate. In this study, we applied the nanoprecipitation method to prepare spironolactone-loaded nanocapsules, at laboratory-scale and pilot-scale. The effect of several formulation variables on the spironolactone-loaded nanocapsules properties (average size, drug release rate and drug entrapment) was investigated. The optimized formulations at laboratory-scale and pilot-scale lead to the preparation of spironolactone-loaded nanocapsules with a mean size of 320 and 400 nm, respectively, a high encapsulation efficiency (96.21% and 90.56% respectively), both stable for 6 months. The release of spironolactone from nanocapsules was rapid and complete in a simulated gastric fluid, therefore recourse to spironolactone nanoencapsulation should enhance its oral bioavailability and probably its efficiency. The optimized formulations lead to a high drug-concentration in the liquid preparation (1.5 mg/ml) allowing minimizing the preparation volume administered for children medication.