Miniemulsions for nanoparticle synthesis

Miniemulsions are specially formulated heterophase systems consisting of stable nanodroplets in a continuous phase. The narrowly size distributed nanodroplets of 50 to 500 nm can be prepared by shearing a system containing oil, water, a surfactant, and an osmotic pressure agent which is insoluble in the continuous phase. Since each of the nanodroplets can be regarded as a batch reactor, a whole variety of reactions can be carried out starting from miniemulsions clearly extending the profile of classical emulsion polymerization. This articles gives an overview about the mechanism of formation of and polymerizations in miniemulsions and reviews the current standing of the field for both the synthesis of new polymers and of dispersed hybrid systems.