Synthesis of Poly(methacrylic acid-co-butyl acrylate) Grafted onto Functionalized Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites for Drug Delivery.

Josué A Torres-Ávalos,Karla A Barrera-Rivera,Antonio Martínez-Richa,Francisco López-Serrano,Leonardo R Cajero-Zul,Milton Vázquez-Lepe,Sergio M Nuño-Donlucas,Fernando A López-Dellamary

doi:10.3390/polym13040533

Josué A Torres-Ávalos, Karla A Barrera-Rivera + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13040533

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Abstract

Design of a smart drug delivery system is a topic of current interest. Under this perspective, polymer nanocomposites (PNs) of butyl acrylate (BA), methacrylic acid (MAA), and functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTsf) were synthesized by in situ emulsion polymerization (IEP). Carbon nanotubes were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and purified with steam. Purified CNTs were analyzed by FE-SEM and HR-TEM. CNTsf contain acyl chloride groups attached to their surface. Purified and functionalized CNTs were studied by FT-IR and Raman spectroscopies. The synthesized nanocomposites were studied by XPS, 13C-NMR, and DSC. Anhydride groups link CNTsf to MAA–BA polymeric chains. The potentiality of the prepared nanocomposites, and of their pure polymer matrices to deliver hydrocortisone, was evaluated in vitro by UV–VIS spectroscopy. The relationship between the chemical structure of the synthesized nanocomposites, or their pure polymeric matrices, and their ability to release hydrocortisone was studied by FT-IR spectroscopy. The hydrocortisone release profile of some of the studied nanocomposites is driven by a change in the inter-associated to self-associated hydrogen bonds balance. The CNTsf used to prepare the studied nanocomposites act as hydrocortisone reservoirs.

Highlights

In recent years, polymer nanocomposites (PNs) have encompassed several growing fields of research
A smart drug delivery system was synthesized successfully. This system consists of nanocomposites of CNTso-OCl-methacrylic acid (MAA)–butyl acrylate (BA) and CNTsr-OCl-MAA–BA that were synthesized by in situ emulsion polymerization (IEP)
An analysis of field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and HR-TEM microscopies made it possible to observe that the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have a structure of helical multiwalled carbon nanotubes (HMWCNTs)

Summary

Introduction

Polymer nanocomposites (PNs) have encompassed several growing fields of research. In contrast to composite materials, PNs are characterized by at least one of their phases having a size in the order of the nanometer range This fact has had a positive influence on the outstanding properties that these materials exhibit. CNTs can be used in medicine, optics, electronics, and other diverse fields, they show drawbacks (such as insolubility, potential toxicity, and complicated manipulation) that should be overcome before their full application to an industrial level [3]. In this sense, the preparation of CNT-based PNs is a simple way to surpass these inherent difficulties

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