Abstract
Novel ultrafine polycaprolactone nanoparticles (PCL NPs) were prepared using poly(ethyleneglycol)2000-distearyl phosphoethanolamine (PEGPE) as the oily phase emulsifier in the emulsion process, resulting in PEG-coated PCL NPs (PEGPE-PCL), which could be reduced and confined in size to below 50 nm. Size separation of PEG-coated polymer NPs remain significant challenges in the preparation for fundamental studies and applications. We used a gel filtration chromatography method for the rapid size separation of PEGPE-PCL and studied the physicochemical characteristics. The morphology of the core-shell PEGPE-PCL on a mica surface followed by NP concentration was observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). It is important to separate size and define PEGPE-PCL structure for further potential in drug delivery application.