Synthesis of methotrexate-loaded tantalum pentoxide-poly(acrylic acid) nanoparticles for controlled drug release applications.

Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in the use of multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs) for cancer treatment. Of importance are systems that can deliver drugs at a sustained rate to target cancer cells, which can result in higher efficiency and reduced systemic toxicity. In this study, we present the route for the synthesis of tantalum pentoxide (TaO) NPs with a particle size of 27 nm that were individually coated with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) with a different layer thickness of 2-8 nm by in-situ polymerization of the acrylic acid monomer.