Preparation and drug delivery study of electrospun hollow PES ultrafine fibers with a multilayer wall

The focus of this work was the preparation of hollow ultrafine fibers with a multilayer wall via coaxial electrospinning technology in one step and then studied their drug delivery properties. In this paper, by choosing a suitable dilute hydrophilic polymer solution as the core solution, polyethersulfone (PES) hollow ultrafine fibers with two different layers wall (porous structure layer and dense smooth layer) were formed during coaxial electrospinning process in one step. They showed good drug delivery capacity when curcumin was used as the model drug. There were much larger delivery amounts, more stable release rate, and higher utilization rate of PES hollow ultrafine fibers with a multilayer wall to curcumin than that of PES porous ultrafine fibers. Compared with porous ultrafine fibers, hollow ultrafine fibers with two different layers wall were more suitable to be used as drug delivery materials. Besides, between the two hollow ultrafine fibers with two different layers wall mentioned in this paper, there was much better drug delivery capacity for the hollow fibers produced with the core solution of PVA/DMSO. These results showed that PES hollow ultrafine fibers with two different layers wall have the potential to be used as the drug delivery materials.     

Room temperature fabrication of hollow ZnS and ZnO architectures by a sacrificial template route

Hollow ZnS and ZnO architectures are fabricated by employing Zn(5)(CO(3))(2)(OH)(6) microspheres as the sacrificial template. Zn(5)(CO(3))(2)(OH)(6) microspheres can be effectively converted into the core/shell structured ZnO/ZnS composites (in the Na(2)S solution) and hollow ZnO architectures (in the KOH solution), by a spontaneous ion replacement reaction at room temperature. Removing the core by the KOH treatment of core/shell structured ZnO/ZnS, hollow ZnS spheres with different shell thicknesses can be effectively achieved. The obtained hollow ZnO architectures exhibit unique geometrical shapes, and their walls are composed of nanocrystals, which are connected to each other to form their hemispherical or circular shape. A possible formation process from Zn(5)(CO(3))(2)(OH)(6) microspheres to core/shell structured ZnO/ZnS composites is proposed by arresting a series of intermediate morphologies.     

链段刚性对非溶剂致相分离成膜过程影响的耗散粒子动力学模拟

通过分子动力学(MD)模拟映射方法构建了符合聚醚砜(PES)刚性结构的耗散粒子动力学(DPD)简谐力场, 并研究了PES链段刚性对PES/N-甲基-2-吡咯烷酮(NMP)/水体系非溶剂致相分离(NIPS)过程的影响. 结果表明, 由于非溶剂和溶剂在两相界面上发生的质量交换, 导致在相界面处PES链段发生堆积, 形成了薄而致密的聚合物表层, 在PES溶液内部, 由于非溶剂的侵入导致体系发生了旋节相分离, 从而在整体上得到了明显的非对称结构; 同时, PES链段刚性的提升能够明显加快体系的相分离速度, 导致相界面处的PES薄层形成得更加快速, 薄层更加致密、 孔径更小, 而对内部的疏松结构影响较小; 此外, 结合不同力场下聚合物浓度对相分离过程的影响可以发现, 不同PES浓度下, 链段刚性的提升对相分离过程的特征和演变趋势没有造成根本性的影响, 与经典的弹簧力场的模拟结果在整体趋势上有相似性. 研究结果表明, 简谐力场能提升PES链段的刚性, 从而能更真实地模拟实际体系的非溶剂相分离法成膜过程.     

In situ synthesis of temperature-sensitive hollow microspheres via interfacial polymerization

In this communication, a novel one-pot synthetic strategy for preparing hollow PNIPAM microspheres via an interfacial polymerization approach at the interface of an inverse W/O emulsion has been proposed and demonstrated. The results show that the prepared PNIPAM microspheres have real empty core and polymer shell structure, with a size range of 1-3 mum. The hollow microspheres experienced a reversible swelling and deswelling process by mediating the temperature below and above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the PNIPAM. The new approach not only provided a unique technical pathway to prepare hollow PNIPAM microspheres in situ under mild reaction conditions but also opened a platform for helping to understand the mechanism of diffusion, migration of the PNIPAM at an oil/water interface above its LCST, and the polymer layer formation mechanism as well.     

Fabrication of polymeric-Laponite composite hollow microspheres via LBL assembly

Hollow structure microspheres with composite polymeric-Laponite shells were prepared by electrostatic self-assembly of Laponite on the polymeric hollow microspheres in this work. The multilayer hydrophilic core/hydrophobic shell polymer latex particles containing carboxyl groups inside were first synthesized via seeded emulsion polymerization, followed by alkali treatment, generating polymeric hollow microspheres. Then, polyethyleneimine (PEI) and Laponite were alternately electrostatic adsorbed on the prepared polymeric hollow microspheres to form polymeric-Laponite composite hollow microspheres. It was indicated that the morphology of alkali-treated microspheres could be tuned through simply altering the dosage of alkali used in the post-treatment process. Along with the increasing of the coating layers, the zeta potential of microspheres absorbed PEI or Laponite approximately tended to be constant respectively, and the thickness of Laponite layer around the hollow microspheres increased clearly, getting more uniform and homogenous. Furthermore, the corresponding polymeric-Laponite hollow microspheres showed high pressure resistance ability compared to the polymeric hollow microspheres.     

Aqueous route to prepare large-scale array of highly ordered polystyrene/aluminum hydroxide microspheres

Monodisperse aluminum hydroxide coated polystyrene (PS) microspheres and their array in large scale was prepared at one step in aqueous solution. The coated PS microsphere arrays are highly ordered and have remarkable structural stability. The arrays can be in plate form and hollow sphere form, depending on the concentration of aluminum sulfate. Hollow aluminum hydroxide shell arrays can be also obtained with calcination.     

Well‐Arranged and Confined Incorporation of PdCo Nanoparticles within a Hollow and Porous Metal–Organic Framework for Superior Catalytic Activity

A convenient method for the confined incorporation of highly active bimetallic PdCo nanocatalysts within a hollow and porous metal–organic framework (MOF) support is presented. Several chemical conversions occur simultaneously during the one‐step low temperature pyrolysis of well‐designed polystyrene@ZIF‐67/Pd²⁺ core–shell microspheres, where ZIF (zeolitic imidazolate framework) is a subclass of MOF: the polystyrene core is removed, resulting in a beneficial hollow and porous ZIF support; the ZIF‐67 shell acts as a well‐defined porous support and as a felicitous Co²⁺ supplier for metal nanoparticle formation; and Pd²⁺ and Co²⁺ are reduced to form catalytically active bimetallic PdCo nanoparticles in the well‐defined micropores, inducing the confined growth of PdCo nanoparticles with excellent dispersity.     

Core–Shell Hollow Microspheres of Magnetic Iron Oxide@Amorphous Calcium Phosphate: Synthesis Using Adenosine 5′‐Triphosphate and Application in pH‐Responsive Drug Delivery

Drug nanocarriers with magnetic targeting and pH‐responsive drug‐release behavior are promising for applications in controlled drug delivery. Magnetic iron oxides show excellent magnetism, but their application in drug delivery is limited by low drug‐loading capacity and poor control over drug release. Herein, core–shell hollow microspheres of magnetic iron oxide@amorphous calcium phosphate (MIO@ACP) were prepared and investigated as magnetic, pH‐responsive drug nanocarriers. Hollow microspheres of magnetic iron oxide (HMIOs) were prepared by etching solid MIO microspheres in hydrochloric acid/ethanol solution. After loading a drug into the HMIOs, the drug‐loaded HMIOs were coated with a protective layer of ACP by using adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP) disodium salt (Na₂ATP) as stabilizer, and drug‐loaded core–shell hollow microspheres of MIO@ACP (HMIOs/drug/ACP) were obtained. The as‐prepared HMIOs/drug/ACP drug‐delivery system exhibits superparamagnetism and pH‐responsive drug‐release behavior. In a medium with pH 7.4, drug release was slow, but it was significantly accelerated at pH 4.5 due to dissolution of the ACP shell. Docetaxel‐loaded core–shell hollow microspheres of MIO@ACP exhibited high anticancer activity.     

空心玻璃微珠/TiO2复合微球的制备及其性能研究

本文以脲为沉淀剂,通过化学沉淀法成功实现了锐钛矿型二氧化钛壳层在空心玻璃微珠表面的可控组装,从而制备出玻璃/二氧化钛核壳空心微球,并通过XRD、SEM、EDX和拉曼光谱对其结构、形貌、粒径、壳厚和化学组成进行了表征.提出了二氧化钛在空心玻璃微珠表面的定向生长的可能机制和形成过程.     

Synthesis and characterization of monodispersed core-shell spherical colloids with movable cores

Gold nanoparticles have been conformally coated with amorphous silica (using a sol-gel method) and then an organic polymer (via surface-grafted, atom transfer radical polymerization) to form spherical colloids with a core-double-shell structure. The thickness of silica and polymer shells could be conveniently controlled in the range of tens to several hundred nanometers by changing the concentration of the reagent and/or the reaction time. Selective removal of the silica layer (through etching in aqueous HF) led to the formation of hollow polymer beads containing movable gold cores. This new form of core-shell particles provides a unique system for measuring the feature size and transport property associated with hollow particles. In one demonstration, we showed that the thickness of a closed polymer shell could be obtained by mapping the electrons backscattered from the core and shell. In another demonstration, the plasmon resonance band of the gold cores was used as an optical probe to follow the diffusion kinetics of chemical reagents across the polymer shells.     

Surface fabrication of hollow microspheres from N-methylated chitosan cross-linked with glutaraldehyde

We have successfully prepared biocompatible and biodegradable hollow microspheres with sizes between 2 and 5 mum using cyclohexane droplets as a template and the N-methylated chitosan (NMC) cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (GA) as the shell. The structure, morphology, and formation process of the hollow microspheres were characterized by FT-IR, (1)H and (13)C NMR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results revealed that the microspheres exhibited a very smooth and hollow structure. This work confirmed that the hollow microspheres were accomplished by fabricating on the basis of chemical cross-linking on the surface of the emulsion droplets and by removing cyclohexane as core. The results from SEM and TEM indicated that the emulsion droplets covered with cross-linked NMC in the oil-in-water system aggregated together to form a precipitate of microspheres by coagulating with acetone. Moreover, the cross-linked NMC on the surface of the microspheres continuously cured to form the tight shell, whereas the inner area became a cavity with increase of the aging time, leading to the hollow microspheres. In addition, an anti-infective drug, ofloxacin (Floxin), encapsulated in the microspheres more rapidly released to reach 90 wt % at pH 7.4 within 8 h than at pH 1.2.     

Preparation of hollow PPy (HPPy) microspheres via template methods with characterization of properties

Template-synthesis method was one of the important methods for the preparation of hollow microspheres. In present work, polystyrene (PS) microspheres were initially synthesized and effects of reaction conditions on the particle size and distribution of PS microspheres were studied. Then sulfonated PS (SPS) microspheres and spherical core (PS) /shell (polypyrrole, PPy) were synthesized by sulfonated and template method respectively. The method was that pyrrole (Py) on the surface of SPS microspheres were polymerized. Then PS (core)-PPy (shell) microspheres by dissolving PS inner core in N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF), and hollow polypyrrole (HPPy) microspheres were obtained (Figure 1). Thereafter, HPPy microspheres were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, particle size analyzer, scanning electron microscope, thermal gravimetric analysis and KDY-4 four-probe resistance meter. The results showed that the size range of PS microspheres were 200～300 nm. HPPy microspheres have been successfully synthesized with good electrical conductivity and excellent thermal stability.     

ZrO2中空微球的模板法制备及吸附性能研究

以油菜花粉为生物模板,通过温和易控的水浴-陈化法制备了纳/微米结构ZrO2中空微球.利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、红外光谱(FTIR)、X射线能谱(EDS)、X射线衍射(XRD)、比表面孔隙度分析、热分析等对所制备的产物和前驱体进行了表征,并对产物的吸附性能进行了初步的研究.结果表明,ZrO2中空微球的球壳由纳米粒子构筑并形成介孔结构.花粉模板前处理方式不同,其模板作用不同,可以获得两种不同球壳厚度、表面形貌和比表面积的ZrO2中空微球.其中"镂空"结构的ZrO2微球对铬黑T有良好的吸附性能.对ZrO2中空结构形成的机理进行了分析和讨论.     

一种制备单分散SiO2空心微球的新方法

在乙醇/氨水介质中, 分别以分散聚合和无皂乳液聚合方法制得的不同粒径聚苯乙烯(PS)微球为模板, 以正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)为前驱体, 通过控制介质中氨水的初始体积, 一步法制得了不同粒径的单分散SiO2空心微球. 整个过程无需添加其它溶剂溶解或高温煅烧的方法来除去模板微球. 对SiO2空心微球进行测试表征, 提出了SiO2空心微球的可能形成机制.     

Iron hydroxyl phosphate microspheres: Microwave-solvothermal ionic liquid synthesis, morphology control, and photoluminescent properties

A variety of iron hydroxyl phosphate (NH₄Fe₂(PO₄)₂OH·2H₂O) nanostructures such as solid microspheres, microspheres with the core in the hollow shell, and double-shelled hollow microspheres were synthesized by a simple one-step microwave-solvothermal ionic liquid method. The effects of the experimental parameters on the morphology and crystal phase of the resultant materials were investigated. Structural dependent photoluminescence was observed from the double-shelled hollow microspheres and the underlying mechanisms were discussed.     

Polymerizable Molecular Silsesquioxane Cage Armored Hybrid Microcapsules with In Situ Shell Functionalization

We prepared core–shell polymer–silsesquioxane hybrid microcapsules from cage‐like methacryloxypropyl silsesquioxanes (CMSQs) and styrene (St). The presence of CMSQ can moderately reduce the interfacial tension between St and water and help to emulsify the monomer prior to polymerization. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and TEM analysis demonstrated that uniform core–shell latex particles were achieved. The polymer latex particles were subsequently transformed into well‐defined hollow nanospheres by removing the polystyrene (PS) core with 1:1 ethanol/cyclohexane. High‐resolution TEM and nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis showed that the final nanospheres possessed hollow cavities and had porous shells; the pore size was approximately 2–3 nm. The nanospheres exhibited large surface areas (up to 486 m² g^?1) and preferential adsorption, and they demonstrated the highest reported methylene blue adsorption capacity (95.1 mg g^?1). Moreover, the uniform distribution of the methacryloyl moiety on the hollow nanospheres endowed them with more potential properties. These results could provide a new benchmark for preparing hollow microspheres by a facile one‐step template‐free method for various applications.     

Dual latex/surfactant templating of hollow spherical silica particles with ordered mesoporous shells

Hollow spherical silica particles with hexagonally ordered mesoporous shells are synthesized with the dual use of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and unmodified polystyrene latex microspheres as templates in concentrated aqueous ammonia. In most of the hollow mesoporous particles, cylindrical pores run parallel to the hollow core due to interactions of CTAB/silica aggregates with the latices. Effects on the product structure of the CTAB:latex ratio, the amount of aqueous ammonia, and the latex size are studied. Hollow particles with hexagonally patterned mesoporous shells are obtained at moderate CTAB:latex ratios. Too little CTAB causes silica shell growth without surfactant templating, and too much induces nucleation of new mesoporous silica particles without latex cores. The concentration of ammonia must be large to induce co-assembly of CTAB, silica, and latex into dispersed particles. The results are consistent with the formation of particles by addition of CTAB/silica aggregates to the surface of latex microspheres. When the size and number density of the latex microspheres are changed, the size of the hollow core and the shell thickness can be controlled. However, if the microspheres are too small (50 nm in this case), agglomerated particles with many hollow voids are obtained, most likely due to colloidal instability.     

Effects of shell composition,dosage and alkali type on the morphology of polymer hollow microspheres

Polymer hollow microspheres were prepared by performing alkali treatment on the multilayer core/shell polymer latex particles containing carboxyl groups. Effects of the shell composition and dosage as well as alkali type on the morphology of the microspheres were investigated. Results showed that in comparison with acrylonitrile(AN) and methacrylic acid(MAA), using butyl acrylate(BA) as the shell co-monomer decreased the glass transition temperature(T_g) of shell effectively and was beneficial to the formation of uniform and big hollow structure. Along with the increase of the shell dosage, the alkali-treated microspheres sequentially presented porous and hollow morphology, and the size of microspheres increased, while the hollow diameter increased first and then decreased, and the maximum hollow ratio reached 39.5%. Furthermore, the multilayer core/shell microspheres had better tolerance to NH_3·H_2O than to NaOH. When the molar ratio of alkali to methacrylic acid(MR_(alkali/acid)) for Na OH ranged from 1.15 to 1.30 or MRalkali/acid for NH_3·H_2O ranged from 1.30 to 2.00, the regular polymer hollow microspheres could be obtained.     

Fabrication of hollow and mesoporous germania microspheres by templating against plasma-treated polystyrene microspheres

The surfaces of monodisperse polystyrene (PS) colloids have been modified with hydroxyl groups by means of plasma treatment technique. By templating against these surface-modified PS colloids, the germania coating PS composite microspheres were prepared via a sol–gel process. After removal of PS cores, the resulting composite microspheres converted into hollow germania microspheres with mesoporous structure. The shell thickness of these hollow spheres can be controlled by varying the concentration of germania precursor. BET results indicated that the hollow germania microspheres shell exhibits slightly broader pore size distribution than that of corresponding composite one owing to the swelling effects of the PS core during the etching process. In addition, the as-prepared germania exhibits amorphous phase which can be converted into crystalline phase by calcination treatment. It is worthy to noting that this fabrication protocol demonstrated a facile, low-cost and environment-benign way for fabricating hollow germania structures by templating method. Moreover, this protocol is not limit to germania; it also could be used to create the other hollow inorganic oxides spheres.     

Room temperature synthesis of hollow CdMoO(4) microspheres by a surfactant-free aqueous solution route

Hollow cadmium molybdate microspheres have been successfully prepared via a template-free aqueous solution method with the assistance of NaCl at room temperature. The structure and morphology of the CdMoO(4) hollow microspheres were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The microspheres have diameters of 3-6 microm and hollow interiors of 2-3 microm. The shell is composed of numerous single-crystalline nanorods with diameters of 30-120 nm and lengths of 1-2 microm which are radially oriented to the center. A certain concentration of NaCl plays a key important role in the formation process of hollow microspheres, which might provide a suitable chemical environment to favor the formation of hollow CdMoO(4) microspheres. A possible NaCl-induced Ostwald ripening process is proposed for the formation of hollow CdMoO(4) microspheres on the basis of scanning electron microscopy observation of intermediate products at different precipitation stages.