Preparation and characterization of nickel chelating functionalized poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres

Abstract

The preparation of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) spheres functionalized with tri-(nitrilotriacetic acid) (NTA) employing a double-emulsion and evaporation method is described. First, polyacrylic acid (PAA) employed as emulsion stabilizer was chemically modified with NTA to yield modified PAA (PAA-NTA). PAA-NTA was characterized by 1H-NMR, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to characterize the morphology and particle size distribution of PLGA spheres obtained with both type of surfactants, PAA and PAA-NTA. Finally, we proved that PLGA particles obtained with modified PAA are able to chelate nickel ions, key for the development of future biomedical applications for these materials.