Preparation of Valuable Compounds Encapsulated Polymer Nanoparticles with High Payload Using Core-crosslinked Amphiphilic Polymer Nanoparticles

In this study, core-crosslinked amphiphilic polymer (CCAP) nanoparticles prepared using a reactive amphiphilic polymer precursor (RARP) were used for preparing some valuable compounds encapsulated polymer nanoparticles with high payload through nanoprecipitation process. Various solvents (acetone, ethanol, and THF) having different polarity and CCAP nanoparticles prepared using different amphiphilicity were used for the preparation of alpha-tocopherol encapsulated polymer nanoparticles to investigate their effects on the encapsulation efficiency, payload, nanoparticle size, and stability. CCAP dissolved in hydrophobic solvent, THF, could forma-tocopherol encapsulated polymer nanoparticles dispersed in water with the high payload of alpha-tocopherol and encapsulation efficiency. Because of their physically and chemically robust nano-structure originated from crosslinking of the hydrophobic core, CCAP nanoparticles could encapsulate alpha-tocopherol with the high payload (33 wt%) and encapsulation efficiency (97%), and form 70 nm-sized stable nanoparticles in water.