Issue 28, 2015

Formulation and preparation of stable cross-linked alginate–zinc nanoparticles in the presence of a monovalent salt

Abstract

Polysaccharide-based nanoparticles can be formed, under the right conditions, when a counterion is added to a dilute polysaccharide solution. In this study, the possibility of preparing stable alginate nanoparticles cross-linked with zinc was investigated. The effects of the ionic strength of the solvent and the concentration of zinc were studied. The nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering, zeta potential and pH measurements. The results showed that an increase in the ionic strength of the solvent provided nanoparticles with considerably narrower size distributions compared to pure water, and a small size. The zinc content was shown to be an important factor for the formation of the nanoparticles. In fact, a critical zinc concentration was needed to obtain nanoparticles, and below this concentration particles were not formed. A stepwise increase in the amount of zinc revealed the process of formation of the nanoparticles. The stages of the nanoparticle formation process were identified, and differences according to the ionic strength of the solvent were also reported. Furthermore, the stability test of the most promising formulation showed a stability of over ten weeks.

Graphical abstract: Formulation and preparation of stable cross-linked alginate–zinc nanoparticles in the presence of a monovalent salt

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
25 Mar 2015
Accepted
26 May 2015
First published
26 May 2015

Soft Matter, 2015,11, 5765-5774

Author version available

Formulation and preparation of stable cross-linked alginate–zinc nanoparticles in the presence of a monovalent salt

S. Pistone, D. Qoragllu, G. Smistad and M. Hiorth, Soft Matter, 2015, 11, 5765 DOI: 10.1039/C5SM00700C

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