title: Supercritical carbon dioxide design strategies: from drug carriers to soft killers.
abstract: The integrated use of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)) and micro- and nanotechnologies has enabled new sustainable strategies for the manufacturing of new medications. 'Green' scCO(2)-based methodologies are well suited to improve either the synthesis or materials processing leading to the assembly of three-dimensional multifunctional constructs. By using scCO(2) either as C1 feedstock or as solvent, simple, economic, efficient and clean routes can be designed to synthesize materials with unique properties such as polyurea dendrimers and oxazoline-based polymers/oligomers. These new biocompatible, biodegradable and water-soluble polymeric materials can be engineered into multifunctional constructs with antimicrobial activity, targeting moieties, labelling units and/or efficiently loaded with therapeutics. This mini-review highlights the particular features exhibited by these materials resulting directly from the followed supercritical routes.
authors.affiliation: LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal air@fct.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2193-1440
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aguiar-Ricardo
authors.affiliation: CQFM and IN, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, Lisboa 1049-001, Portugal.
authors.forename: Vasco D B
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2349-8473
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Bonifácio
authors.affiliation: LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9405-6221
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Casimiro
authors.affiliation: LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal.
authors.forename: Vanessa G
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7357-7199
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Correia
keywords: POxylation; antimicrobial activity; dendrimers; drug delivery; oligo-oxazolines; supercritical carbon dioxide