Nanoprecipitation
The nanoprecipitation method is a relatively easy and reproducible
technique for the preparation of PLA-based nano-particles. The
nanoprecipitation is a one-step process, also known as the solvent
displacement method (Fig. 6) [29,30]. The advantages of this method
are narrow size distribution, less toxic and eco-friendly solvents, and
low energy source of a stirring device. The nanoprecipitation method
can be applied in various ways: (i) direct pouring of an anti-solvent
(e.g., water phase) into an organic solution, (ii) slow drop-wise addition
of water to an organic solution, (iii) direct pouring of an organic solution
into the water phase, and (iv) dilution of a polymeric-dispersed phase
using an anti-solvent. The solvent is then removed from the suspension
under reduced pressure or vacuum [44,45].