Perspectives of Aerosol‐Photopolymerization: Nanostructured Polymeric Particles

Nanostructured non-spherical (named nanocaps) and spherical porous particles (named mosaic nanoparticles) are generated by aerosol-photopolymerization. Nanocaps exhibit well-defined shapes independent of their diameter and are formed by employing a softening agent and a volatile non-solvent in the formulation, combining non-solvent evaporation and retarded gelation. Mosaic nanoparticles are produced by the addition of a non-volatile non-solvent into the monomer formulation, provoking phase separation. Both particle structures are generated in situ in the presence of zinc oxide nanoparticles. Similarly, they are loaded with caffeine for release experiments and feature potential for applications in emerging technologies such as optics, functionalized coatings and nanomedicine.