Fabrication, characterization and drug loading of pH‐dependent multi‐morpho‐ logical nanoparticles based on cellulose

Abstract This paper investigates the pH‐dependent micellization of (hydroxyethyl cellulose)‐ graft ‐poly(acrylic acid) (HEC‐ graft ‐PAA), the crosslinking of the pH‐induced nanoparticles and the drug loading of the crosslinked multi‐morphological nanoparticles. The hydrodynamic diameter (〈 D h 〉) of the pH‐induced micelles was found dependent on both temperature and concentration in dynamic light scattering studies. After the crosslinking of PAA segments in the micelles, shape‐persistent nanoparticles were obtained, which exhibited multiple morphologies from nano‐cage to hollow sphere, and a homogeneous swollen microgel in neutral medium with an increase of the degree of crosslinking. To investigate the drug loading of these shape‐persistant nanoparticles, diminazene aceturate was chosen as a model drug. The loading efficiency and the drug release behavior against water and 0.1 mol L −1 NaCl were studied using UV absorption spectroscopy. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry