Particle size and distribution of biodegradable poly‐D,L‐lactide‐co‐poly(ethylene glycol) block polymer nanoparticles prepared by nanoprecipitation

Abstract

AbstractA biodegradable block copolymer, poly‐D,L‐lactide (PLA)‐co‐poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), was prepared by the ring‐opening polymerization of lactide with stannous caprylate [Sn(Oct2)] as a catalyst; then, the PLA–PEG copolymer was made into nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation under different conditions. The average molecular weight and structure of PLA–PEG were detected by 1H‐NMR and gel permeation chromatography. The sizes and distributions of the nanoparticles were investigated with a laser particle‐size analyzer. The morphologies of the nanoparticles were examined by transmission electron microscopy. The effects of the solvent–nonsolvent system, operation conditions, and dosage of span‐80 on the sizes and distributions of the nanoparticles are discussed. The results show that acetone–water was a suitable solvent–nonsolvent system and the volume ratio of the nonsolvent phase to the solvent phase (O/W) (v/v), the concentration of PLA–PEG in the solvent phase, and the dosage of span‐80 had important effects on the particle sizes and distributions. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1884–1890, 2005