Aligned carbon nanotube membrane for drug delivery - 1254
- *Abstract
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Overview
Nanoporous materials consist of regular organic or inorganicframework systems that support a porous structure, specifically with pore sizesof 100 nanometers or smaller. One of thekey drivers of the nanoporous material market is its application in thebiomedical industry. Advances in nanoporous membrane designs may directlybenefit chemical separations, ion channel mimics and drug delivery.
Thesuccessful application of nanoporous membranes depends on several criticalmembrane properties, including matching pore sizes, selectiveness and gatingreversibility. Various approaches have investigated the use of inorganicmaterials, polysulfone membranes and hydrogels. However, these approaches areexpensive, unstable and mechanically fragile.
Invention
UK researchers are developing a method for fabricatinga nanoporous ordered membrane, that can be functionalized for selectivetransport of various target molecules. The invention comprises of alignedcarbon nanotubes (CNT) to produce a permeable membrane. In contrast to current organic molecules, themembrane of the present invention is stable and provides a tightly controlledpore size, resistant to solvent effects. Additionally, the membrane can controlpore openings, providing for gateable selectivity.
Advantages
- fabricates nanoporous membranes made of aligned nanotubes
- creates a more stable, tightly controlledpore size membrane, resistant to solvent effects
- provides for selective transport of varioustarget molecules
IP Status: U.S. Patent No. 7,611,628
- 国家/地区
- 美国
