Synthesis and characterisation of novel nanospheres made from amphiphilic perfluoroalkylthio-β-cyclodextrins

This work describes the synthesis of new amphiphilic perfluorohexyl- and perfluorooctyl-propanethio-β-cyclodextrins and the comparison of the ability of these molecules and alkyl analogue, nonanethio-β-cyclodextrin to form nanospheres. Nanospheres were prepared using nanoprecipitation method (perfluoroalkylthio-β-cyclodextrin in THF [0.11×10−3M], stirring rate 700 rpm, addition of aqueous phase at 64 °C into organic phase at 50 °C). They were characterised by Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (PCS) and by electron microscopy (SEM and cryo-TEM). The nanospheres prepared from these new β-cyclodextrin derivatives have an average size of 260 nm, and appear to be spherical in cryo-TEM images. Whereas alkyl analogue forms polydisperse aggregates with sizes in the range 60-350 nm.