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Synthesis of Chitosan-Based Sub-Micrometric Particles by Simple Coacervation

Due to its intrinsic biocompatibility, degradability, and antibacterial properties, chitosan is widely explored for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, especially for the development of tissue engineering scaffolds and controlled drug delivery systems. In this work, physically crosslinked chitosan-based particles with submicrometric size were synthesized by means of a modified coacervation process, starting from aqueous solutions differing for the chitosan molecular weight and concentration. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to analyse the particle morphology and the mean diameter yielded by the different synthesis parameters. Daily DLS measurements were also performed to monitor the expected swelling of the particles in a buffer solution, up to four days of storage. The experimental findings showed that submicrometric chitosan particles, with an average diameter in the range 150-400 nm, could be successfully produced, with both chitosan molecular weight and concentration affecting the particle size. Moreover, the smallest particles, among those synthesized, were found to be stable in water solutions up to three days. This seems to suggest the potential of the investigated particles for short-term biomedical applications, e.g., controlled drug delivery over time windows ranging from hours to days.