Preparation and characterization of nano and micro particles of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) via emulsification/solvent evaporation and nanoprecipitation techniques

This paper describes the preparation and the characterization of micro and nanoparticles of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) via two different preparation techniques. The first technique is the emulsification/solvent evaporation while the second is the nanoprecipitation which is being reported for first time for the PHBV particles. The effect of various conditions of preparation on the size and the morphology of the produced particles was studied for both techniques. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, static light scattering and dynamic light scattering were used to analyse the size and the morphology of the particles. The particles produced using the emulsification/solvent evaporation were spherical porous micro and nanoparticles ranging from 300 up to 20 μm. The size, porosity and the particle size distribution were found to be controllable basically via choosing the surfactant and the polymer concentration when the emulsification technique was used. Choosing the appropriate anti-solvent and adjusting its polarity are crucial for getting spherical particles via nanoprecipitation. The micro and nanoparticles produced via both techniques are intended basically to be used for reinforcing biopolymeric matrices of PHBV and starches.