Janus Nano- and Microparticles as Smart Drug Delivery Systems

Research has been lately prospering in the field of Janus nanoparticles, focusing on new synthesis techniques and their application in various fields. This is due to the unique characteristics possessed by this type of particles such as their anisotropic nature, and their synergistic potential for combination therapy in addition to the multilevel targeting. These unique features are essential in several biomedical applications, especially the controlled drug delivery. Various techniques have been used for the synthesis of Janus nanoparticles including; masking, self-assembly, microfluidic and phase separation. They are all aiming at production of uniformly sized Janus particles with spatially separated functionalities. Herein, the main synthesis approaches of various Janus nanoparticles are briefly reviewed with the provision of examples of studies focusing on the potential applications of Janus particles in controlled drug delivery. Keywords: Janus, nanoparticles, nanocapsules, nanomotors, microfluidic, drug delivery.