The role of Nanopore Architecture for Controlled Release of Molecules
- Chief Supervisor
- Dr AJ Hill (CSIRO)
- Centre Nodes
- CSIRO, ANSTO
Soft materials such as polymers, gels, and proteins contain tiny spaces or nanopores. These nanopores are known experimentally to affect the transport of active compounds through and within the materials. Controlling this transport is crucial for applications such as controlled release active drugs, proteins, peptides, oligionucleotides, metal ions etc.
In this project, materials synthesis, radiochemistry and characterisation tools including positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and small angle X-ray scattering and Neutron Scattering will be used to understand, predict, and tailor transport properties in soft matter. Initial work will examine encapsulation methods based on layer-by-layer or other hierarchical structure building and templating methods. These structures will be characterized and models developed to take into account host and guest molecule shape, charge, nanopore size, distribution and connectivity, and intermolecular interactions.
The project is a collaboration between CSIRO and ANSTO and the student will need to be willing to travel and work for short periods at ANSTO, Sydney. The student will be expected to work within a diverse team of chemists, radiochemists, chemical engineers, physicists, mathematicians and biologists. They will need to have an interest in materials science and condensed matter physics and a willingness to handle radioactive materials.
Selected Reading
AJ Hill et al., "Tailoring Nanospace", Journal of Molecular Structure, 739 (2005), 173.
J Siepmann, N. A. Peppas, "Hydrophilic matrices for controlled drug delivery: An improved mathematical model to predict the resulting drug release kinetics (the "sequential layer" model)", Pharmaceutical Research, 17 (2000), 1290.
A Streubel et al., "Bimodal drug release achieved with multi-layer matrix tablets: transport mechanisms and device design", Journal of Controlled Release, 69 (2000), 455
Key words: controlled release, polymers, gels, proteins, radiochemistry, transport, self-healing, nanopore architecture, drug delivery, therapeutics
