Preparing Nanoparticles by Emulsification Diffusion Method

In this method, polymer is dissolved in measured amount of solvent (ethyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, propylene carbonate, methyl ethyl ketone. Organic phase is added into required amount of aqueous phase containing the stabiliser. After mutual saturation of organic and continuous phase, the mixture is emulsified with a high speed homogenizer. For full diffusion into the water phase, excess amount of water is added to the oil in water emulsion under magnetic stirring, leading to the nanoprecipitation of the polymer.

                Schematic illustration of the Emulsion Diffusion Method

Advantages of emulsion diffusion method:-

It offers high encapsulation efficiency, no need for homogenization, high batch to batch reproductibility, ease of scaling up, simplicity and narrow size distribution. 

Limitations of emulsion diffusion method:-

High volumes of water have to be eliminated from suspension, leakage of water soluble drug into saturated aqueous external phase during emulsification reducing encapsulation efficiency.

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