Liquid-Core Polystyrene Nanocapsules Synthesize Via Flash Nanoprecipitation

Nanoparticles with a liquid core and solid shell, or nanocapsules, have shown promise in applications such as in pharmaceuticals and food additives. We have developed several types of nanocapsules using a method known as flash nanoprecipitation, in which a solution is rapidly mixed with a miscible non-solvent. We will present results on nanocapsules consisting of a polystyrene shell with a liquid core of n-hexadecane. These samples were characterized using dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. We were able to apply a "droplet" model used for describing single component nanoparticles to explain the nanocapsule morphology as a function of the compositions of the initial solutions.