Composition Dependency of the Flory-Huggins Interaction Parameter in Drug-Polymer Phase Behavior.

An innovative strategy to address recent challenges in the oral administration of poorly soluble drugs is the formulation of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs), where the drug is dissolved in a highly soluble carrier polymer. Therefore, special knowledge of the drug-polymer phase behavior is essential for an effective product and process design, accelerating the introduction of novel efficacious ASD products. Flory-Huggins theory can be applied to model solubility temperatures of crystalline drugs in carrier polymers over the drug fraction.

Open-Celled Foams from Polyethersulfone/Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Blends Using Foam Extrusion.

Polyethersulfone (PESU), as both a pristine polymer and a component of a blend, can be used to obtain highly porous foams through batch foaming. However, batch foaming is limited to a small scale and is a slow process. In our study, we used foam extrusion due to its capacity for large-scale continuous production and deployed carbon dioxide (CO) and water as physical foaming agents.

Open-Celled Foams of Polyethersulfone/Poly(-vinylpyrrolidone) Blends for Ultrafiltration Applications.

Since membranes made of open porous polymer foams can eliminate the use of organic solvents during their manufacturing, a series of previous studies have explored the foaming process of various polymers including polyethersulfone (PESU) using physical blowing agents but failed to produce ultrafiltration membranes. In this study, blends containing different ratios of PESU and poly(-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) were used for preparation of open-celled polymer foams. In batch foaming experiments involving a combination of supercritical CO and superheated water as blowing agents, blends with low concentration of PVP delivered uniform open-celled foams that consisted of cells with average cell size less than 20 µm and cell walls containing open pores with average pore size less than 100 nm.

Processing of Highly Filled Polymer-Metal Feedstocks for Fused Filament Fabrication and the Production of Metallic Implants.

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a new procedure for the production of plastic parts, particularly if the parts have a complex geometry and are only needed in a limited quantity, e.g., in specific medical applications.

Hydrophilic Dual Layer Hollow Fiber Membranes for Ultrafiltration.

In this study, a triblock copolymer was used as additive to fabricate new dual layer hollow fiber membranes with a hydrophilic active inner surface in order to improve their fouling resistance. The polymeric components of the solutions for membrane fabrication were poly(ether sulfone), poly(-vinyl pyrrolidone), and the triblock copolymer. The additive consists of three blocks: a middle hydrophobic poly(ether sulfone) block and two outer hydrophilic alkyl poly(ethylene glycol) blocks.

Exceptionally strong, stiff and hard hybrid material based on an elastomer and isotropically shaped ceramic nanoparticles.

In this work the fabrication of hard, stiff and strong nanocomposites based on polybutadiene and iron oxide nanoparticles is presented. The nanocomposites are fabricated via a general concept for mechanically superior nanocomposites not based on the brick and mortar structure, thus on globular nanoparticles with nanosized organic shells. For the fabrication of the composites oleic acid functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles are decorated via ligand exchange with an α,ω-polybutadiene dicarboxylic acid.

Folate receptor targeted bufalin/β-cyclodextrin supramolecular inclusion complex for enhanced solubility and anti-tumor efficiency of bufalin.

Bufalin (BF), a traditional Chinese medicine, exhibited inhibitory activities against a broad spectrum of tumor cells. The present study elaborates that bufalin was successfully encapsulated into the cavity of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), which was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The best reaction mole ratio of BF/β-CD was 1:5.

Doxorubicin hydrochloride-oleic acid conjugate loaded nanostructured lipid carriers for tumor specific drug release.

The hydrophilic drug Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) paired with oleic acid (OA) was successfully incorporated into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) by a high-pressure homogenization (HPH) method. Drug nanovehicles with proper physico-chemical characteristics (less than 200nm with narrow size distribution, spherical shape, layered internal organization, and negative electrical charge) were prepared and characterized by dynamic light scattering, zeta potential measurements, transmission electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry. The drug loading and entrapment efficiency of DOX-OA/NLCs were 4.

Extensional flow behavior of aqueous guar gum derivative solutions by capillary breakup elongational rheometry (CaBER).

The extensional rheological properties of aqueous ionic carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar gum (CMHPG) and non-ionic hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPG) solutions between the semi-dilute solution state and the concentrated network solution state were investigated by capillary breakup elongational rheometry (CaBER). Carboxymethylated guar gum derivatives show an instable filament formation in deionized water. The ratio of elongational relaxation time λE over the shear relaxation time λS follows a power law of λE/λS∼(c · [η])(-2).

Mixture of nonionic/ionic surfactants for the formulation of nanostructured lipid carriers: effects on physical properties.

The objective of the present work was to investigate the effects of the mixture of nonionic/ionic surfactants on nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). Nonionic surfactant (polyethylene-poly(propylene glycol), Pluronic F68) and ionic surfactant (octenylsuccinic acid modified gum arabic, GA-OSA) were chosen as emulsifier for NLCs. The NLCs systems, which were composed of lipid matrix, modified 4-dedimethylaminosancycline (CMT-8), and various emulsifier agents, were characterized with dynamic light scattering (DLS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), in vitro release, and phagocytosis assay.

Insights into the interactions among Surfactin, betaines, and PAM: surface tension, small-angle neutron scattering, and small-angle X-ray scattering study.

The interactions among neutral polymer polyacrylamide (PAM) and the biosurfactant Surfactin and four betaines, N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate (SDDAB), N-tetradecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate (STDAB), N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate (SHDAB), and N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-2-ammonio-acetate (C12BE), in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) have been studied by surface tension measurements, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and rheological experiments. It has been confirmed that the length of alkyl chain is a key parameter of interaction between betaines and PAM. Differences in scattering contrast between X-ray and neutrons for surfactants and PAM molecules provide the opportunity to separately follow the changes of structure of PAM and surfactant aggregates.

Tailoring shear-stiff, mica-like nanoplatelets.

This work introduces a novel facile method to produce shear-stiff, mica-like nanoplatelets by efficient exfoliation. The essence of this procedure is the nonreversible alteration of the interlamellar reactivity of a synthetic fluorohectorite by simple cation exchange. The possibility of switching from highly hydrated to collapsed interlayers permits a highly efficient exfoliation in the swollen state while providing shear-stiffness in the collapsed state.