Coaxial Nozzle Electrospraying of Polymer Solutions: Use of Dispersant Flow

Abstract

In electrospraying of polymer solutions, metal sample collectors are often ineffective in fully removing solvent from sprayed particles and recovering redispersable sprayed particles. Herein, a novel electrospraying system, where sprayed particles were dispersed into laminar flow of dispersant (coagulation liquid), was designed for the nano-encapsulation of protein drugs. Chitosan and polyacrylic acid were used as the encapsulation materials. Aggregation of particles could be prevented by using this new electrospraying system, and unimodal size distribution was observed at an applied voltage between 4 similar to 16 kV and a low flow rate. The effects of the applied voltage on mean particle size were not significant on the other hand.