Using Supercritical Fluid Technologies to Prepare Micro- and Nanoparticles

Literature data on basic research for and practical application of the synthesis of micro- and nanoparticles with the use of supercritical fluids (SCFs) are systematized and analyzed. The review of SCF-based micronization is divided into sections according to the role played by an SCF in the process, which is in most cases a solvent (the rapid expansion of supercritical solutions (RESS)), an antisolvent (supercritical antisolvent precipitation (SAS)), or a solute (particles formed from gas-saturated solutions (PGSS)). Special attention is given to means less covered in the literature, where the SCF is a co-solute (SAA, CAN-BD, and DELOS). The main advantages, limitations, and applicability of each approach for a specific range of substances are analyzed in detail. It is shown that the range of the considered substances is not limited to the best-described pharmaceutical objects; rather, it is greatly expanded to cover possible applications of SCF micronization. The focus is mainly on works published over the last decade.