Synthesis and Functionalization of Nanoparticles in Supercritical CO₂

Abstract

A review of recent results on fabrication of inorganic and organic nanoparticles in supercritical carbon dioxide will be presented, with particular emphasis on the metallic and polymeric nanoparticles used in biomedicine. The use of the water-in-scCO 2 microemulsion in the synthesis of metal nanoparticles will be also discussed. The recent progress in preparation of polymeric nanoparticles with desired size and porosity obtained through processing methods in scCO 2 as drug delivery systems will be described. The efficiency of the drug encapsulation in organic and inorganic nanoparticles using supercritical CO 2 as dissolving media is another topic of interest. Various methods to achieve surface functionalization of nanoparticles in supercritical and subcritical CO 2 will be evaluated, considering the challenges and limitations in efficiency, scalability, and development of new applications.