Abstract

The preparation of nanomedicines can be achived using a host of methods ranging from wet-chemical approaches to more engineering related techniques. As a maturing branch of nanotechnology, nanomedcines are being tailored to serve multiple pharmaceutic and biomedical related funcitons (e.g. targeted delivery, imaging, healing, sensing) which may require the utilisaiton of one or more actives or excipients. In some instances, handling of materials (such as sensitive biomolecules or active pharmaceutical ingredient) becomes a limiting factor along with issues related to fabrication steps (loss or degradation of active components and functional materials), deposition location & procedure (removal of formed structures), process environment sensitivity and scale-up potential. This short review focuses on the electrohydrodynamic preparation of emerging nanomedicines that have potential to serve as therapeutic platforms. An insight into the underpinning process (jet-formation), related paramerts (material and process) and strucutral outcomes (particles and fibres) is given in relation to highlighted research. The ambient temperature processing, user friendly preparation and present industrial scale up potential (now in kg/hr) make such processes valuable in the preparation of future nano-scaled and sensitive dosage forms.

Keywords: Electrohydrodynamic, Electrospin, Electrospray, Fibers, Nanomedicines, Particles.

Graphical Abstract