Three Distinct Scenarios under Polymer, Surfactant, and Colloidal Interaction

Structure of Cellulose Ether Affected by Ionic Surfactant and Solvent: A Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Investigation

Polysaccharides and their derivatives are commonly used in pharmaceutical and agricultural formulations as rheology modifiers. Their performance is related to their conformation in solution, which in turn is affected by other ingredients present in the formulation. This study focuses on modulating the conformation of relatively rigid cellulose chains in aqueous solutions. In particular, we have investigated the nonionic cellulose derivative ethyl(hydroxyethyl)cellulose (EHEC) in water in the presence of the ionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and/or ethanol acting as modulating agents. We have used small angle neutron scattering (SANS) with contrast variation to determine the EHEC chain conformation in the presence of (but not masked by) ethanol and SDS. In dilute and semidilute aqueous solutions, EHEC exhibits worm-like chain conformation due to the rigid cellulose backbone. Addition of ethanol does not impact the polymer conformation to a great extent. Addition of SDS alters the EHEC chain conformation, resulting in polyelectrolyte-like scattering behavior due to repulsive interactions between bound charged micelles which show similar structure as the free SDS micelles in solution (in the absence of polymers). Ethanol affects the polymer + surfactant system primarily by acting on the surfactant (bound on polymer) which, in turn, affects the polymer conformation. At higher ethanol concentrations (20 wt %), EHEC regains the worm-like chain conformation because of the detachment of the bound SDS micelles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only study providing details on chain conformation of the rigid polymer EHEC in dilute or semidilute aqueous solutions in the presence of surfactant and alcohol and one of very few papers utilizing SANS for the characterization of polymer + surfactant + water + alcohol interactions. Such fundamental understanding of interactions and structure in multicomponent mixtures supports the design of industrial formulations.

Viscosity of Sodium Polystyrenesulfonate with Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide in the Mixture of Methanol and Water

Viscosity of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in the presence of sodium polystyrene sulfonate (NaPSS) in methanol-water mixed solvent media has been reported at 308.15 K. The results have been analyzed on the basis of a simple model based on the scaling theory of the viscosity of polyelectrolyte solutions put forward by Plucktaveesak et al. (J. Phys. Chem. B, 2003, 107, 8166-8171). The specific viscosity data obtained here for the CTAB-NaPSS couple in mixed solvent media agree very well with the predictions of the above model. It has been established that the fraction of free counterions of the polyelectrolyte can be conveniently recovered in these complex fluids.

Glassy and compressed nanoemulsions stabilized with sodium dodecyl sulfate in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate

The rheology of concentrated nanoemulsions is critical for their formulation in various applications, such as pharmaceuticals, foods, cosmetics, and templating advanced materials. The rheological properties of nanoemulsions depend on interdroplet interactions, Laplace pressure, dispersed phase volume fraction, and continuous phase properties. The interdroplet forces can be tuned by background electrolytes (i.e., charge screening), surfactant type, the excess surfactant micelle concentration, and depletant molecules such as polymer chains. In the current research, we study the effect of varying the content of poly(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate (PEGDA) on the interfacial tension of the water-oil phase and rheological properties of concentrated nanoemulsions with 50% and 60% volume fractions. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is used as the ionic surfactant. The final concentrated nanoemulsions are repulsive according to overall interaction potentials and are in the glass and compressed states based on the effective volume fraction estimation. They contain nearly same SDS concentration on the droplet surface and also in the bulk, but a different amount of PEGDA. The scaled rheological properties of the glassy nanoemulsions show a higher dependency on the PEGDA content and the possible effect of polymer-surfactant complexations compared to those of the compressed ones. This dependency is more pronounced in small strain amplitudes but not in large strains in the non-linear regime. These results provide insights into formulating concentrated nanoemulsions with controlled rheology for expanded application areas.

Magnetic nanofluids (Ferrofluids): Recent advances, applications, challenges, and future directions

Impelled by the need to find solutions to new challenges of modern technologies new materials with unique properties are being explored. Among various new materials that emerged over the decades, magnetic fluids exhibiting interesting physiochemical properties (optical, thermal, magnetic, rheological, apparent density, etc.) under a magnetic stimulus have been at the forefront of research. In the initial phase, there has been a fervent scientific curiosity to understand the field-induced intriguing properties of such fluids but later a plethora of technological applications emerged. Magnetic nanofluid, popularly known as ferrofluid, is a colloidal suspension of fine magnetic nanoparticles, has been at the forefront of research because of its magnetically tunable physicochemical properties and applications. Due to their stimuli-responsive behaviour, they have been finding more applications in biology and other engineering disciplines in recent years. Therefore, a critical review of this topic highlighting the necessary background, the potential of this material for emerging technologies, and the latest developments is warranted. This review also provides a summary of various applications, along with the key challenges and future research directions. The first part of the review addresses the different types of magnetic fluids, the genesis of magnetic fluids, their synthesis methodologies, properties, and stabilization techniques are discussed in detail. The second part of the review highlights the applications of magnetic nanofluids and nanoemulsions (as model systems) in probing order-disorder transitions, scattering, diffraction, magnetically reconfigurable internal structures, molecular interaction, and weak forces between colloidal particles, conformational changes of macromolecules at interfaces and polymer-surfactant complexation at the oil-water interface. The last part of the review summarizes the interesting applications of magnetic fluids such as heat transfer, sensors (temperature, pH, urea detection, cations, defect detection sensors), tunable optical filters, removal of dyes, dynamic seals, magnetic hyperthermia-based cancer therapy and other biomedical applications. The applications of magnetic nanofluids in diverse disciplines are growing day by day, yet there are challenges in their practical adaptation as field-worthy or packaged products. This review provides a pedagogical description of magnetic fluids, with the necessary background, key concepts, physics, experimental protocols, design of experiments, challenges and future directions.

From Individual Liquid Films to Macroscopic Foam Dynamics: A Comparison between Polymers and a Nonionic Surfactant

Foams can resist destabilizaton in ways that appear similar on a macroscopic scale, but the microscopic origins of the stability and the loss thereof can be quite diverse. Here, we compare both the macroscopic drainage and ultimate collapse of aqueous foams stabilized by either a partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) or a nonionic low-molecular-weight surfactant (BrijO10) with the dynamics of individual thin films at the microscale. From this comparison, we gain significant insight regarding the effect of both surface stresses and intermolecular forces on macroscopic foam stability. Distinct regimes in the lifetime of the foams were observed. Drainage at early stages is controlled by the different stress-boundary conditions at the surfaces of the bubbles between the polymer and the surfactant. The stress-carrying capacity of PVA-stabilized interfaces is a result of the mutual contribution of Marangoni stresses and surface shear viscosity. In contrast, surface shear inviscidity and much weaker Marangoni stresses were observed for the nonionic surfactant surfaces, resulting in faster drainage times, both at the level of the single film and the macroscopic foam. At longer times, the PVA foams present a regime of homogeneous coalescence where isolated coalescence events are observed. This regime, which is observed only for PVA foams, occurs when the capillary pressure reaches the maximum disjoining pressure. A final regime is then observed for both systems where a fast coalescence front propagates from the top to the bottom of the foams. The critical liquid fractions and capillary pressures at which this regime is obtained are similar for both PVA and BrijO10 foams, which most likely indicates that collapse is related to a universal mechanism that seems unrelated to the stabilizer interfacial dynamics.

An Advanced Material with Synergistic Viscoelasticity Enhancement of Hydrophobically Associated Water-Soluble Polymer and Surfactant

In order to prepare materials with controllable properties, changeable microstructure, and high viscoelasticity solution with low polymer and surfactant concentration, a composite is constituted by adding surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) to hydrophobically associated water-soluble polymer (abbreviated as PAAC) solution. The viscoelasticity, aggregate microstructure, and interaction mechanism of the composite are investigated by rheometery, Cryo-transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM), and fluorescence spectrum. The results show that when the mass ratio of polymer to surfactant is 15:1, the viscosity of the composite reaches the maximum. The viscosity of the composite system increases hundredfold. The viscosity plateau under dynamic shear is generated. The composite has the properties of high viscoelasticity, strong shear thinning behavior, and good salt tolerance, and temperature resistance. The maximum viscosity of the composite is shown at the salinity of 20000 mg L^-1 . In addition, there is no phase separation in the composite with the increase of polymer and surfactant concentration, which indicates the good stability of the system. It is proposed a method to obtain a high viscoelasticity solution by adding surfactants without wormlike micelles to a hydrophobically associated water-soluble polymer solution.

Phase Behavior and Rheological Properties of Poly(vinyl alcohol)/AES/Water System

In this work, the phase behavior of the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/alkyl ethoxysulfate (AES)/water ternary system is investigated at 25 °C. The PVA/AES/water ternary phase diagram is conducted which shows that there are two main phases corresponding to the solid phase and the hexagonal liquid crystalline phase (H) in the ternary system. Besides these two phases, a high-viscosity liquid phase (L₂) and a micellar phase (L₁) can also be found in the phase diagram, although they just occupy small areas. Polarizing optical microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering are used to characterize the different lyotropic liquid crystal types. Moreover, the viscosity distribution and oscillation tests are also performed by means of the rheometer. High elastic modulus (G') and viscous modulus (G″) can be found in the H and the L₂ phase, whereas both moduli are low in the L₁ region. The PVA/AES/water ternary phase diagram provides a good guide for accelerating the selection of the detergent formula, whereas the rheological tests provide an application guidance for industrial operations. Beyond tis, the L₁ region is considered to be a reasonable range for slurry making because of its good fluidity and low viscoelasticity. This research enriches the content of polymer-surfactant aggregates and promotes the development of solid detergent manufacturing industry.

Synergistic Polymer-Surfactant-Complex Mediated Colloidal Interactions and Deposition

Total internal reflection microscopy (TIRM) is used to directly, sensitively, and simultaneously measure colloidal interactions, dynamics, and deposition for a broad range of polymer-surfactant compositions. A deposition state diagram containing comprehensive information about particle interactions, trajectories, and deposition behavior is obtained for polymer-surfactant compositions covering four decades in both polymer and surfactant concentrations. Bulk polymer-surfactant phase behavior and surface properties are characterized to provide additional information to interpret mechanisms. Materials investigated include cationic acrylamide-acrylamidopropyltrimonium copolymer (AAC), sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) surfactant, silica colloids, and glass microscope slides. Measured colloid-substrate interaction potentials and deposition behavior show nonmonotonic trends vs polymer-surfactant composition and appear to be synergistic in the sense that they are not easily explained as the superposition of single-component-mediated interactions. Broad findings show that at some compositions polymer-surfactant complexes mediate bridging and depletion attractions that promote colloidal deposition, whereas other compositions produce electrosteric repulsion that deters colloidal deposition. These findings illustrate mechanisms underlying colloid-surface interactions in polymer-surfactant mixtures, which are important to controlling selective colloidal deposition in multicomponent formulation applications.

Interferon-gamma carrying nanoemulsion with immunomodulatory and anti-tumor activities

The therapeutic administration of cytokines has been introduced aiming to modulate the immune response system, seeking for different approaches to face pathologies such as cancer, auto immune and infectious diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a stable oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsion system carrying the cytokine Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) on the activity of phagocytes and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Nanoemulsions were prepared through ultra-homogenization, and they consisted of distilled water, triglycerides of capric acid/caprylic, sorbitan-oleate, polysorbate 80, and 1-butanol. IFN-γ (100 ng ml^-1 ) was incorporated into two O/W nanoemulsion formulations, and these formulations were characterized in terms of their preliminary and accelerated physicochemical stability, rheological properties, droplet size, polydispersity and surface charge. We identified the most optimal IFN-γ nanoemulsion (IFN-γNE2), which remained stable under extreme temperature variations for 90 days, contained an average dose of 97 ng ml^-1 of IFN-γ and exhibited a biocompatible pH and a relative stable rheological profile. Cell viability and intracellular Ca²⁺ release assays conducted showed that IFN-γNE2 reduced the cell viability of MCF-7 cells without affecting the cell viability of phagocytes. Furthermore, IFN-γNE2 was able to induce cellular activity of phagocytes as evidenced by increased intracellular Ca²⁺ release in these cells. Our findings on this IFN-γ nanoemulsion suggest that it can be a promising therapeutic agent for immunostimulation and cancer treatment.

Direct Measurements of kT-Scale Capsule-Substrate Interactions and Deposition Versus Surfactants and Polymer Additives

We report a novel approach to directly measure the interactions and deposition behavior of functional capsule delivery systems on glass substrates versus the concentration of an anionic surfactant sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) and a cationic acrylamide-acrylamidopropyltrimonium copolymer (AAC). Analyses of three-dimensional optical microscopy trajectories were used to quantify lateral diffusive dynamics, deposition lifetimes, and potentials of mean force for different solution conditions. In the absence of additives, negatively charged capsule surfaces yield electrostatic repulsion with the negatively charged substrate, which inhibits deposition. With an increasing SLES concentration below the critical micelle concentration (CMC), capsule-substrate electrostatic repulsion is mediated by the charged surfactant solution that decreases the Debye length. Above the SLES CMC, depletion attraction causes enhanced deposition until eventually depletion repulsion inhibits deposition at concentrations ∼10 wt %. Addition of an ACC causes deposition via capsule-substrate bridging at all concentrations; the weakest deposition occurs at intermediate AAC concentrations from a competition of steric repulsion and attraction via a few extended bridges. The novel measurements and models of capsule interactions and deposition on substrates in this work provide a basis to fundamentally understand and rationally design complex rinse-off cleansing formulations with optimal characteristics.

Study on influencing factors of Pickering emulsions stabilized by hydroxyapatite nanoparticles with nonionic surfactants

Emulsions were prepared using hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and nonionic surfactant sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) as emulsifier. Effects of Span 80 concentration, emulsification time, emulsification rate, poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) concentration and the surface chemical properties of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles on emulsion properties were systematically studied. The results showed that emulsion would undergo a phase inversion from oil-in-water (O/W) type to water-in-oil (W/O) type with an increase in Span 80 concentration. All of the above factors are closely related to emulsion type and stability. SEM results indicated that cured materials with different structures were obtained using these emulsions as templates via in situ evaporation; especially, open-cell porous structures were obtained by a mixture of hydroxyapatite and a moderate concentration of Span 80. The mechanism of this emulsion system is proposed in relation to the emulsion properties and cured material structure, which should be attributed to the formation of hydrogen bonds between hydroxyapatite and Span 80 by hydroxyl groups as well as their location changes in the emulsion.

Effects of Salt-Controlled Self-Assembly of Triblock Copolymers F68 on Interaction Forces between Oil Drops in Aqueous Solution

Nonionic triblock copolymers, surfactant Pluronic F68 (PEO76-PPO29-PEO76), are widely used in industrial processes, such as foaming, emulsification, and stabilization. The behaviors of triblock copolymers such as the salt-dependent self-assembly in bulk solution and the irreversible adsorption at the oil/water interface are mainly focused to explore their effects on the interaction forces between nano-spacing interfaces of oil droplets. In this study, the atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique was employed to measure the drop interaction forces with different F68 bulk concentrations. All selected bulk concentrations (≥100 μM) of copolymers can ensure the formation of a stable layer structure of stretched polymer chains ("brush") at the oil/water interface, which behaved as a mechanical barrier at the interface. This study quantified the forces caused by the space hindrance of F68 copolymers both in the bulk phase and at the interface of oil/F68 aqueous solution during drop interaction. The effects of monovalent electrolyte (NaCl)-induced self-assembly behavior of triblock copolymers F68 in bulk solution on drop interaction forces were measured through the AFM technique.

Polymer-Amphiphile Interactions: An Overview

Interactions between the polymers and amphiphiles in aqueous solutions have generated considerable interest among researchers because of the widespread applications, relatively complex behavior and improved physicochemical properties of the mixtures. Numerous studies on the surfactant-polymer systems have been carried out in recent years and the number of scientific reports has considerably increased. Various applications of polymers in different areas and many works concerning the amphiphiles are being published every year. Usually, the mixed systems containing polymers and amphiphiles show solution properties different from those of individual solutions due to interaction between the components. The present review article mainly focuses on the behaviour of polymers in aqueous solutions, in the absence or presence of amphiphiles, such as surfactants, drugs, etc. It also summarizes effect of the nature of amphiphiles on aggregation properties of polymers in aqueous solution, and interaction of conventional as well as gemini surfactants with polymers.

Surfactant induced aggregation behavior of Merocyanine-540 adsorbed on polymer coated positively charged gold nanoparticles

Surfactant induced aggregation behavior of Merocyanine 540 adsorbed on polymer (PDD) coated gold nanoparticles (AuNP) is reported. The absorption band of the dye shifts to higher energy in the presence of free polymer and polymer coated AuNP implying aggregation. Addition of a negatively charged surfactant (SDS) induces multiple bands in the extinction spectrum of the dye adsorbed on nanoparticle surface. The highest (460nm) and lowest (564nm) energy bands of the dye become prominent at 10 and >50μM SDS concentrations respectively (dye: 10μM; AuNP: 100-200pM). Based on earlier results the high energy band is likely to originate from dye aggregates and the low energy band is likely to originate from dye monomers. This is attributed to the interplay between polymer-surfactant and polymer-dye interactions at the AuNP surface. The extinction spectra of dye adsorbed at AuNP surface remain unaffected in the presence of a positively charged (CTAB) or a neutral surfactant (Tx-100), at low surfactant concentrations. However at higher surfactant concentrations (>60μM) dye aggregation takes place which is attributed to dye-surfactant interactions. The fluorescence intensity of the dye quenched significantly but its lifetime increased in the presence of polymer coated AuNP. This is attributed to aggregation and reduction in the photoisomerization rate of the dye adsorbed on AuNP surface.

Charging and uncharging a neutral polymer in solution: a small-angle neutron scattering investigation

Aqueous formulations containing polymers and surfactants find several applications in pharmaceutics, coatings, inks, and home products. The association between polymers and surfactants contributes greatly to the function of these complex fluids, however, the effects of polar organic solvents, ubiquitous in formulations, remain mostly unexplored. We have analyzed small angle neutron scattering (SANS) data to determine the conformation of a "model" nonionic polymer, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), in aqueous solutions as affected by the presence of an ionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and subsequent addition of short-chain alcohol (ethanol or 2-propanol). PEO chains (MW = 90,000) are Gaussian in dilute aqueous solutions, but become polyelectrolyte-like upon the addition of 30 mM SDS, with about 6 SDS micelles bound to each PEO chain. Micelles associated with polymer are similar in structure and interactions to micelles that form in aqueous solutions in the absence of polymer. Addition of alcohol alters both the polymer and micelle structure and interactions, leads to detachment of micelles from the polymer, and the PEO chains regain their Gaussian conformation. 2-Propanol is more effective than ethanol in influencing the polymer conformation and the properties of SDS micelles in aqueous solutions, either in the presence or in the absence of PEO. This study contributes fundamental insights on polymer and surfactant organization in solution, as well as new, quantitative information on systems that are widely used in practice.

Influence of Ag+ interaction on 1D droplet array spacing and the repulsive forces between stimuli-responsive nanoemulsion droplets

This paper reports results on the effect of interaction of Ag(+) on 1D droplet array spacing and the repulsive forces between stimuli-responsive nanoemulsion droplets, stabilized with an anionic surfactant--sodium dodecyl sulfate--and a diblock polymer--poly(vinyl alcohol)-vinyl acetate. The repulsive interaction is probed by measuring the in-situ equilibrium force-distance in the presence of Ag(+) using the magnetic chaining technique. At a constant static magnetic field, emulsion droplets form 1D array that diffract visible light. A large blue-shift in the diffracted light is observed in the presence of interacting Ag(+) because of the reduction in the interdroplet spacing within the 1D array. The in-situ equilibrium force-distance measurement results show that the onset of repulsions and magnitude of repulsive forces are strongly influenced by the presence of Ag(+) in ppb levels. This suggests that the Ag(+) ions screen the surface charges through the formation of both Stern and diffuse electric double layer and produces a dramatic blue-shift in surfactant-stabilized emulsion, whereas a dramatic conformational change in the adsorbed polymer layer causes a reduction in the 1D array spacing in the diblock polymer stabilized emulsion. The force-distance results are compared with the predictions of electrical double-layer and repulsive steric forces. The droplet array shows an excellent selectivity to Ag(+) due to the strong interaction of Ag(+) with the stabilizing moieties at the oil-water interface. The possible mechanisms of interaction of Ag(+) with surfactant and polymer are discussed. The dramatic decrease in the 1D array spacing in the presence of Ag(+) may find promising practical applications in the development of optical sensors for selective detection of cations with ultrahigh sensitivity.

Adsorption of polymer-surfactant mixtures at the oil-water interface

Small-angle neutron scattering, zeta potential measurements, and dynamic light scattering have been used to investigate the adsorption of polymer-surfactant mixtures at the oil-water interface. The water-hexadecane interface investigated was in the form of small oil-in-water emulsion droplets stabilized by the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS. The impact of the addition of two different cationic polymers, poly(ethyleneimine), PEI, and poly(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride), polydmdaac, on the SDS adsorption at the oil-water interface was studied. For both polymers, the addition of the polymer enhances the SDS adsorption at low SDS concentrations at the oil-water interface due to a strong surface polyelectrolyte-surfactant interaction and complexation, but the effects are not as pronounced as at the air-water interface. For PEI/SDS, the adsorption was largely independent of solution pH and increasing PEI concentration. In marked contrast to the adsorption at the air-water interface, only monolayer adsorption and no multilayer adsorption was observed. For the SDS-polydmdaac mixture, the enhanced SDS adsorption was in the form of a monolayer, and the adsorption increased with increasing polymer concentration. The strong SDS/polydmdaac surface interaction resulted in regions of emulsion instability. The zeta potential measurements showed that the combination of SDS and polydmdaac at the interface resulted in charge reversal at the interface. This correlates with the regions of emulsion stability at both high and low polymer concentrations, such that the instabilities arise in the regions of low or zero surface charge. The results presented and their interpretation represent a development in the understanding of polymer-surfactant adsorption at the oil-water interface.

Quality-by-design case study: investigation of the role of poloxamer in immediate-release tablets by experimental design and multivariate data analysis

The role of poloxamer 188, water and binder addition rate, on retarding dissolution in immediate-release tablets of a model drug from BCS class II was investigated by means of multivariate data analysis (MVDA) combined with design of experiments (DOE). While the DOE analysis yielded important clues into the cause-and-effect relationship between the responses and design factors, multivariate data analysis of the 40+ variables provided additional information on slowdown in tablet dissolution. A steep dependence of both tablet dissolution and disintegration on the poloxamer and less so on other design variables was observed. Poloxamer was found to increase dissolution rates in granules as expected of surfactants in general but retard dissolution in tablets. The unexpected effect of poloxamer in tablets was accompanied by an increase in tablet-disintegration-time-mediated slowdown of tablet dissolution and by a surrogate binding effect of poloxamer at higher concentrations. It was additionally realized through MVDA that poloxamer in tablets either acts as a binder by itself or promotes binder action of the binder povidone resulting in increased intragranular cohesion. Additionally, poloxamer was found to mediate tablet dissolution on stability as well. In contrast to tablet dissolution at release (time zero), poloxamer appeared to increase tablet dissolution in a concentration-dependent manner on accelerated open-dish stability. Substituting polysorbate 80 as an alternate surfactant in place of poloxamer in the formulation was found to stabilize tablet dissolution.

Effective polymeric dispersants for vacuum, convection and freeze drying of drug nanosuspensions

Drying nanosuspensions into redispersable powders is a critical issue in developing solid dosage forms of drug nanoparticles. The particle fusion and chain entanglement of polymeric steric stabilizers adsorbed onto the nanoparticle surface should be prevented to retain redispersibility after drying. Herein, we report that only a small amount of polymeric dispersants such as carrageenan, gelatin, and alginic acid between 0.5 and 3 wt.% in various drug nanosuspensions can provide sufficient redispersibility in vacuum, convection, and freeze drying. In vacuum and freeze drying of naproxen nanosuspensions, the addition of only 0.5 wt.% carrageenan resulted in the formation of redispersable nanoparticulate powders. The amounts of polymeric dispersants required for redispersibility was lowest for carrageenan and highest for gelatin. The specific interactions between the dispersants and steric stabilizers (or drugs), in addition to viscosity increase during drying, appeared to effectively prevent irreversible particle aggregation.

Macromolecular surfactants for miniemulsion polymerization

The use of polymeric surfactants as stabilizers in miniemulsion polymerization was reviewed. The structural characteristics of reported polymeric surfactants were detailed and compared. The concept of multi-functional polymeric surfactants was evidenced. The specificities brought by polymeric surfactants in the process of miniemulsion polymerization in comparison to molecular surfactants were analysed for the stability of the initial monomer emulsion, polymerization kinetics and characteristics of the obtained latexes. The contribution of polymeric surfactants to the control of the characteristics of the obtained nanoparticles was detailed with regard to the nature of the core material and to the surface coverage. Polymeric surfactants can be seen as powerful tools for the design of original nanoparticles. On the basis of the available data, possible research topics are suggested.

Effect of digestion time and alkali addition rate on physical properties of magnetite nanoparticles

We investigate the effect of digestion time and alkali addition rate on the size and magnetic properties of precipitated magnetite nanoparticles. It is observed that the time required to complete the growth process for magnetite nanocrystals is very short (approximately 300 s), compared to long digestion times (20-190 min) required for MnO and CdSe nanocrystals. The rapid growth of magnetite nanoparticles suggests that Oswald ripening is insignificant during the precipitation stage, due to the low solubility of the oxides and the domination of a solid-state reaction where high electron mobility between Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions drives a local cubic close-packed ordering. During the growth stage (0-300 s), the increase in the particle size is nominal (6.7-8.2 nm). The effect of alkali addition rate on particle size reveals that the nanocrystal size decreases with increasing alkali addition rate. The particle size decreases from 11 to 6.8 nm as the alkali addition rate is increased from 1 to 80 mL/s. During the size decrease, the lattice parameter decreases from 0.838 to 0.835 nm, which is attributed to an increase in the amount of Fe3+ atoms at the surface due to oxidation. As the alkali addition rate increases, the solution reaches supersaturation state rapidly leading to the formation of large number of initial nuclei at the nucleation stage, resulting in large number of particles with smaller size. When alkali addition rate is increased from 1 to 80 mL/s, the saturation magnetization of the particles decreases from 60 to 46 emu/g due to the reduced particle size.

Critical freezing rate in freeze drying nanocrystal dispersions

Recent advances in nanoparticle technologies have significantly enhanced the oral and parenteral delivery of poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). However, reports have been limited on the various drying procedures to convert a liquid nanocrystal dispersions into solid dosage forms. The solid dosage form should consist of nanocrystals that can readily reconstitute into their original size upon dissolution in water. Herein, the freeze drying process of nanocrystal dispersions was examined at varying freezing rates (speed of freezing interface). As freezing rate decreases, more particle-particle aggregation developed. A critical freezing rate, below which the dried nanocrystals cannot be re-dispersed, was identified based on the plot of the particle size of reconstituted nanocrystals versus freezing rate. Freeze drying at a freezing rate near the critical value produces dry powders of bimodal particle size distribution after re-dispersion. In addition, API concentration was found to significantly affect the critical freezing rate and therefore the re-dispersibility of dry powders. The concept of critical freezing rate is critical for the development of solid dosage forms of liquid nanocrystal dispersions.

Magnetic force probe for nanoscale biomolecules

We present a new technique to measure the mechanical properties of small biomolecules. This technique uses long range repulsive colloidal forces together with magnetic attraction as a force probing tool. The biomolecules are grafted between superparamagnetic particles, which are regularly spaced within long chains maintained by an external magnetic field. Varying the magnetic field results in compression or extension of the molecules between the particles. In order to demonstrate this technique we use, as a size controlled model molecule, a short double stranded DNA (151 base pairs) for which the force-extension law is determined and found in agreement with existing predictions.