n-Butyl cyanoacrylate miniemulsion polymerization via the phase inversion composition method

This study reports the first anionic miniemulsion polymerization of butyl cyanoacrylate droplets obtained by the low-energy emulsification method called PIC. Starting from an initial mixture of monomer, methanesulfonic acid (to limit monomer conversion during emulsification) and Tween®80 (to improve the crossing of the blood–brain barrier), controlled dilution led to the formation of BCA in water emulsions in the nanometer range. The influence of formulation (pH of the continuous phase, O:S ratio) and process (water addition rate) parameters was depicted. Anionic miniemulsion polymerization of the obtained droplets was performed to obtain nanoparticles suitable for encapsulation of sensitive molecules.