Biocompatible Polymers for the Synthesis of Nanosalts via Supramolecular Ion-Dipole Interaction.

High salt (NaCl) consumption is critical for many healthy problems, e.g., high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Nanosized NaCl particles hold great promise for reducing salt intake; however, they suffered from deliquescence due to their large surface area. We report a facile yet general strategy for the preparation of NaCl nanoparticles (nanosalts) with controllable sizes and moisture resistance property by using biocompatible polymers, such as polyethylene glycol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polypropylene glycol, polylactic acid, polycaprolactone, and copoly(oxyethylene/oxypropylene/oxyethylene) via supramolecular ion-dipole interaction. The size can be tuned in a range of 100-160 nm by changing the molecular weight or concentration of polymer ligands. Nanosalts protected by polymers showed faster dissolution rate and better moisture resistance compared with microsized NaCl particles without polymer ligands. This work promotes the future development of nanosalts for food and industrial applications to improve human health.