title: Supercritical antisolvent precipitation of PHBV microparticles.
abstract: The micronization of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) from organic solutions using supercritical antisolvent (SAS) technique has been successfully achieved. SAS experiments were carried out at different operational conditions and microspheres with mean diameters ranging from 3 to 9 microm were obtained. The effect of CO(2) and liquid flow, temperature and pressure on particle size and particle size distribution was evaluated. The microspheres were precipitated from a dichloromethane (DCM) solution. The best process conditions for this mixture were, according to our study, 40 degrees C, 100 bar, 1 mL min(-1) liquid flow and 10 L min(-1) carbon dioxide flow. Experiments with polymers containing different HV percentages were carried out. The powders obtained became more spherical as the HV content decreased.
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE/CQFB, Departamento de Química, FCT-UNL, 2829, 516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Mariana Sousa
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Ana Rita C
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: M Margarida
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Catarina M M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Duarte
mesh_terms: D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D004337:Drug Carriers; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008863:Microspheres; D053758:Nanoparticles; D010316:Particle Size; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D011312:Pressure; D012996:Solutions; D012997:Solvents; D013696:Temperature; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D004337:Drug Carriers; D011091:Polyesters; D012996:Solutions; D012997:Solvents; C052620:poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-co-(3-hydroxyvalerate); D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates