Soheil Boddohi, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, 100 Engineering South/Glover, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1370 and Matt J. Kipper, Chemical and Biological Engineering and School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, 100 Engineering South/Glover, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1370.
Polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles (PCN) represent a rapid method for introducing nanoscale features into biomaterials. In this study, PCN are formed based on the interaction of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. Chitosan and quaternary chitosan (weak and strong polycations) and hyaluronic acid and heparin (weak and strong polyanions) are used to make PCN. Formation of particles was developed by the one-shot addition of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes in 0.1 M, pH 5.0 buffer. PCN size and composition were investigated based on different charge molar ratios (ranging from 15 to 0.06) from different polyanion/polycation pairs. PCN were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to look at the morphology and particle size. Sizes of these particles are in the 100 nm range. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to characterize the size distribution of each PCN formulation. PCN composition was assayed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).