Carrier Materials

Porous materials consist of a hollow framework. Mesoporous materials are a subset of this category, and have a pore diameter between 2 and 50 nanometers. The most typical of these materials include structures of silica and alumina in the size range of 200 nanometers - 10 microns.

We specialize in designing mesoporous materials. With our advanced synthesis methods, we are able to fine-tune the characteristics of both the particles (in terms of size, morphology and surface modification) and the pores (in terms of size, structure and surface functionalization). And with control over the different aspects of these two parameters, we design mesoporous materials as carrier and delivery systems for applications in drug delivery, cosmetics and food science.

Our focus for carrier and delivery systems is on two aspects: loading into and controlled release from these materials.

For loading:
• High surface areas enable high loading capacities making these carriers efficient and cost effective.
• Control over their surface chemistry allows loading of a variety of substances, limited only by their size.

For delivery:
• Tailored pore sizes and pore structures allow control of time release profiles.
• Release can be triggered by a change in temperature or pH.
• Particle size control offers routes for non-absorbance.
• Simultaneous release profiles are possible using different porous structures.
• Controlled surface binding allows release of the loaded substance through diffusion based or particle dissolution mechanisms.