Controllable polymerization of n-butyl cyanoacrylate using a high-gravity rotating packed bed

Abstract Poly (n-butyl cyanoacrylate) (PBCA) nanoparticles are widely used as biocompatible and bio-erosive materials in a range of biomedical applications, especially for drug delivery systems. This paper reports a novel synthesis method of PBCA nanoparticles with high productivities and purities in a rotating packed bed. The particle size and molecular weight of PBCA nanoparticles were controlled by adjusting the high-gravity factor, surfactant concentration, pH, temperature and monomer concentration. The high-gravity factor shows an obvious influence on the particle sizes, while it has few effects on molecular weight. The surfactant concentration and pH also affect molecular weight and particle sizes. Moreover, compared with conventional stirred tank, the reaction time of RPB procedure was dramatically reduced from 12 h to 2 h, and the purity of products increased from about 93 % to 96 %. Furthermore, when the molecular weight of PBCA increased, the in vitro cytotoxicity to Hep G2 cells firstly increased and then decreased, and the cellular uptake was improved. In summary, PBCA with controllable molecular weight and particle sizes can be synthesized using a facile high-gravity method.