Liquid Core Nanocapsule Formation Using Flash Nanoprecipitation

Nanocapsules are nanoparticles with a liquid core and solid shell. These materials have shown promise in applications such as in pharmaceuticals and as food additives. We have developed a series of nanocapsules using a method known as flash nanoprecipitation, in which a solution is rapidly mixed with a miscible non-solvent. We synthesized nanocapsules consisting of a polystyrene shell with a liquid core of n-hexadecane. The nanocapsules were characterized using dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The particles showed changes in volume over time as our solvent evaporated, but their final volume was a linear function of the initial concentration of the polymer solution. This is similar to the behavior of single component nanoparticles synthesized with flash nanoprecipitation, and is explained using a droplet model.