Abstract
The ouzo effect is a rapid route to nanoparticle formation through nanoprecipitation via the addition of a poor solvent to supersaturate a polymer solution. Currently, there are differing opinions on the mechanism of particle formation: nucleation and growth, nucleation and aggregation, or spinodal decomposition. To elucidate the mechanism, various concentrations of organosilica were added as artificial nucleation embryos to poly(methyl methacrylate)-tetrahydrofuran solutions prior to nanoprecipitation. Particle size distribution was monitored via dynamic light scattering, while the morphology and organic content of select samples were further characterized via transmission electron microscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis, respectively. The data establishes that spinodal decomposition was the mechanism of particle formation and that silica can be used as an additive for particle size distribution control during ouzo effect particle formation.
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