Generation of Nanoparticles of Controlled Size Using Ultrasonic Piezoelectric Oscillators in Solution

We demonstrate the operation of a device that can produce chitosan nanoparticles in a tunable size range from 50-300 nm with small size dispersion. A piezoelectric oscillator operated at megahertz frequencies is used to aerosolize a solution containing dissolved chitosan. The solvent is then evaporated from the aerosolized droplets in a heat pipe, leaving monodisperse nanoparticles to be collected. The nanoparticle size is controlled both by the concentration of the dissolved polymer and by the size of the aerosol droplets that are created. Our device can be used with any polymer or polymer/therapeutic combination that can be prepared in a homogeneous solution and vaporized.