Cyclodextrin-Based Porous Nanocapsules

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are regarded as one kind of the most important and promising macrocyclic oligosaccharides, which contain hydrophobic internal cavities capable of hosting various guest molecules. CDs are water-soluble, non-toxic, commercially available as well as low-cost. Because of these favorable characteristics, cyclodextrin chemistry has created a great number of interesting works covering different fields, in particular CD-based porous nanocapsules (CDPNCs). Chemical cross-linking is an important way developed to prepare CDPNCs. CDPNCs can be obtained using different cross-linkers and preparation methods, such as homogeneous method, miniemulsion polymerization, and emulsion-solvent evaporation method. Because of cross-linking, a three-dimensional network is built which forms the porous structure in CDPNCs with the cavities of CDs. Attributed to the porous structure, CDPNCs exhibit excellent performances in encapsulation of targeted molecules and realization of controllable release, indicating a promising prospect in applications such as drug delivery systems and environment protection.