As surfactants are capable of influencing the droplet formation, our study primarily
aims the investigation of the effect of a nonionic surfactant e.g. Polysorbate 80
on the formation of microspheres on the course of vibrating nozzle method with coacervation.
The experiments also concern the impact of the different process parameters (e.g.
vibration frequency, feed rate and voltage) on the shape and size distribution of
microspheres characterized by laser diffraction size determination completed with
particle image analysis. The calcium-alginate microspheres were processed using freeze-drying
to ensure solid state with better drug carrier capability. Addition of isomalt was
advantageous in the formation of freeze-dried microspheres at low alginate concentration,
which was explained by micro-CT analysis of the constructed particle structure. The
internal three-dimensional network of calcium alginate demonstrated a more cancellous
architecture ameliorating the roundness of microparticles.
