Semicontinuous Microemulsion Polymerization of Polymeric Nanoparticles of Poly(cyanoacrylates) and Poly(caprolactone)
Gerardo León-Sánchez,
Eulogio Orozco-Guareño,
Oscar Guillermo Zúñiga-González,
Luisa Fernanda Briones-Márquez,
Raúl R. Quiñonez-López,
Jesús Baudelio Campos-García,
María de Jesús Palacios-Sánchez
Affiliations
Gerardo León-Sánchez
Departamento de Procesos Tecnológicos e Industriales, Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Occidente, Periférico Sur Manuel Gómez Morín # 8585, Guadalajara 45604, Jalisco, Mexico
Eulogio Orozco-Guareño
Laboratorio de Fisicoquímica, Departamento de Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán # 1421, esq. Calzada Olímpica, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico
Oscar Guillermo Zúñiga-González
Laboratorio de Fisicoquímica, Departamento de Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán # 1421, esq. Calzada Olímpica, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico
Luisa Fernanda Briones-Márquez
Laboratorio de Fisicoquímica, Departamento de Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán # 1421, esq. Calzada Olímpica, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico
Raúl R. Quiñonez-López
Laboratorio de Fisicoquímica, Departamento de Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán # 1421, esq. Calzada Olímpica, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico
Jesús Baudelio Campos-García
Departamento de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad # 940, Ciudad Universitaria, Aguascalientes 20100, Aguascalientes, Mexico
María de Jesús Palacios-Sánchez
Laboratorio de Fisicoquímica, Departamento de Química, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán # 1421, esq. Calzada Olímpica, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico
Polymeric nanoparticles based on poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) (PECA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) were synthesized via semicontinuous microemulsion polymerization for potential biomedical applications. A systematic evaluation of four surfactants (Tween 80, Alkonat L70, Genapol LRO, and Brij-20) was carried out to determine their effects on micelle formation and particle size. Brij-20 enabled the formation of nanoparticles under 100 nm, with optimal conditions identified at 4% surfactant concentration and pH 1.75. The polymerization process included acid-catalyzed ring-opening of ε-caprolactone, followed by the semicontinuous addition of ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate under an inert atmosphere. Copolymerization was confirmed through FT-IR spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry, revealing a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 110.9 °C, indicating PECA as the dominant phase. Thermogravimetric analysis showed two decomposition events corresponding to each polymer. Transmission electron microscope analysis revealed nanoparticles averaging 51.74 nm in diameter. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of producing PECA-PCL nanoparticles with controlled size and composition, suitable for drug delivery and other biomedical uses.
