Comparison of Ion Exchange Performance of Polystyrene Nanofiber Cation Exchanger and Glass Fibers Coated with Poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene)

Fabrication and evaluation of cationic exchange nanofibers for controlled drug delivery systems

The number of ion exchange fibers in development has increased over the last several years. However, few studies have reported the use ion-exchange fibers in drug delivery system. In this study polystyrene nanofiber ion exchangers (PSNIE) were fabricated by electrospinning techniques, crosslinking and sulfonation. The degree of crosslinking and the ion exchange capacity (IEC) were determined. The morphology and diameter of the nanofiber mats were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Five cationic model drugs (dextromethorphan, chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine, propranolol and salbutamol) were loaded into PSNIE. The loading capacity, release and release kinetics of the exchangers were investigated. PSNIE were successfully prepared by electrospinning and were allowed to crosslink for 10 min, resulting in a maximum IEC of 2.86±0.1 meq/g dry PSNIE. The diameter of the fibers after sulfonation was 464±35 nm. Dextromethorphan provided the highest loading in PSNIE while diphenhydramine gave the highest percentage release in both simulated gastric and intestinal fluid (SGF and SIF). The release kinetics of all drugs in SGF and SIF provided the best fit with the particle diffusion model. Our results showed that the development of a PSNIE-based drug delivery system was successful, and PSNIE were able to control drug release.

Electrically conducting polymers as templating interfaces for fabrication of copper nanotubes

Submicrometer tubes have been fabricated by a polymer-based template approach using electroless deposition. The copper was deposited on polystyrene fibers functionalized with an interfacial electrically conducting polyaniline thin film layer. Thermal degradation of the functionalized fiber templates resulted in copper tubes of diameter 1600 ± 50 nm with wall thicknesses ranging between 100 and 200 nm. The morphology and elemental analysis of copper coaxial fibers was analyzed using SEM and EDS. Electrical properties were analyzed using FTIR and PXRD was used to study crystal structure of copper nanotubes.