Synthesis of chitosan-stabilized polymer dispersions, capsules, and chitosan grafting products via miniemulsion.
The potential of chitosan as an emulsion stabilizer is combined with the miniemulsion technique to generate oil droplets, hollow capsules, and latex particles in the diameter range of 100-300 nm carrying a functional biopolymer surface. It turned out that chitosan alone, independent of its molecular weight, is just moderately efficient, which is speculatively attributed to its stiff polysaccharide structure. The addition of biocompatible costabilizers with higher flexibility either to the oil phase or to the water phase, such as Jeffamine or Gluadin (a peptide), eliminates these deficiencies, and very small nanocapsules made of biopolymer hybrids can be obtained. NMR analysis shows that the costabilizer is effectively grafted/cross-linked to the chitosan which makes the miniemulsion route also effective for the modification of hard-to-handle, amphiphilic biopolymers either from the water or from the oil phase.
Marie
Emmanuelle
E
Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg, D-14424 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
Landfester
Katharina
K
Antonietti
Markus
M
D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D002214:Capsules / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D048271:Chitosan; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D004655:Emulsions; D005079:Excipients / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D015394:Molecular Structure; D036103:Nanotechnology; D010316:Particle Size; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000737:chemistry*
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002214:Capsules; D004655:Emulsions; D005079:Excipients; D011137:Polystyrenes; D002686:Chitin; D048271:Chitosan