Particle Formation in the Emulsion-Solvent Evaporation Process

The mechanism of particle formation from submicrometer emulsion droplets by solvent evaporation is revisited. A combination of dynamic light scattering, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, zeta potential measurements, and fluorescence cross‐correlation spectroscopy is used to analyze the colloids during the evaporation process. It is shown that a combination of different methods yields reliable and quantitative data for describing the fate of the droplets during the process. The results indicate that coalescence plays a minor role during the process; the relatively large size distribution of the obtained polymer colloids can be explained by the droplet distribution after their formation. The preparation of nanoparticles by solvent evaporation from miniemulsion droplets is examined by various analytical methods. It is shown that coalescence plays a minor role in the polydispersity of the obtained nanoparticles.