Unraveling the Formation of Gelatin Nanospheres by Means of Desolvation
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Besheli, Negar Hassani; Martens, Martijn; Macías Sánchez, Elena; Olijve, Jos; Yang, Fang; Sommerdijk, Nico; Leeuwenburgh, Sander C. G.Editorial
American Chemical Society
Materia
Gelatin nanoparticles Desolvation Self-assembly
Date
2023-11-15Referencia bibliográfica
Negar Hassani Besheli, Martijn Martens, Elena Macías-Sánchez, Jos Olijve, Fang Yang, Nico Sommerdijk, and Sander C. G. Leeuwenburgh. Unraveling the Formation of Gelatin Nanospheres by Means of Desolvation. Nano Letters. 2023. 23 (23), 11091-11098. DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c03459
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Radboud University Medical CenterAbstract
Gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) have been widely studied
for a plethora of biomedical applications, but their formation
mechanism remains poorly understood, which precludes precise
control over their physicochemical properties. This leads to timeconsuming
parameter adjustments without a fundamental grasp of the
underlying mechanism. Here, we analyze and visualize in a timeresolved
manner the mechanism by which GNPs are formed during
desolvation of gelatin as a function of gelatin molecular weight and
type of desolvating agent. Through various analytical and imaging
techniques, we unveil a multistage process that is initiated by the formation of primary particles that are ∼18 nm in diameter (wet
state). These primary particles subsequently assemble into colloidally stable GNPs with a raspberry-like structure and a
hydrodynamic diameter of ∼300 nm. Our results create a basic understanding of the formation mechanism of gelatin nanoparticles,
which opens new opportunities for precisely tuning their physicochemical and biofunctional properties.