Abstract
Starch nanoparticles (SNPs) are a promising option for the strategic development of new renewable and biodegradable nanomaterials for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications in terms of antibiotic or anticancer agent loading used as drug delivery systems. The final properties of SNPs are strongly influenced by the synthesis method and its conditions which must be controlled to obtain monodisperse sizes which represents a technological challenge for these applications. The purpose of this work was to synthesize SNPs through the micro-emulsion method, modifying their main operating parameters, in terms of the effect or ratio of amylose and amylopectin in corn starch, with controlled sizes. In addition, SNPs were characterized according to their size and shape. The obtained results were reported as a function of their particle size and distribution, observing a higher particle formation capacity as the percentage of surfactant increased. The composition of the used corn starch influenced the size and final shape of the particles. Finally, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy were used as the characterization techniques for these materials.
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The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgments
Marco Antonio Estrada Ramos thanks CONACyT for his scholarship. We also thanks Tecnológico Nacional de México (TecNM) for their financial support.
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Estrada-Ramos, M.A., Rojas-García, J.M., López-Morales, S. et al. Synthesis and characterization of starch nanoparticles obtained through the micro-emulsion method. MRS Advances 8, 83–88 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-023-00539-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-023-00539-9