Construction and properties of venlafaxine hydrochloride sustained release system based on hollow mesoporous silica microspheres

The aim of this work is to develop a venlafaxine hydrochloride sustained release system based on hollow mesoporous silica microspheres(HMSMs).HMSMs were innovatively prepared with tetraethyl silicate(TEOS)as the precursor and volatile n-heptane as a soft template.The obtained HMSMs show a well-defined hollow structure with an average size of 967 nm and pore volume of 0.85 cm^(3)/g,implying it is a potential drug carrier.Subsequently,venlafaxine hydrochloride(VF)was absorbed in the HMSMs with a content of 37.67% or so.The sustained release effect is further measured by the dissolution in-strument at 37℃ and 50 rpm in ultrapure water.The results showed that the HMSMs/VF system shows good sustained release properties compared with sustained release tablets with hydroxypropyl meth-ylcellulose as the main component.This HMSMs sustained release system appears to be a promising candidate for a sustained drug release.

Synthesis of mesoporous silica microspheres by a spray-assisted carbonation microreaction method

A novel spray-assisted carbonation microreaction method for the synthesis of mesoporous silica microspheres is reported.The synthetic process comprises the preparation of a silica sol via a carbonation reaction,rapid gelation at high temperature,and subsequent rapid solvent evaporation by spray drying.The carbonation microreaction was conducted in a membrane dispersion microreactor,in the presence of sodium silicate and carbon dioxide reactants.The as-synthesized silica microspheres exhibit a uniform mesostructure,excellent dispersity,and a narrow particle size distribution,with average diameters of 1-2 μm,Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface areas of 300-1149m2/g,and total pore volumes of 0.21-1.82 cm3/g.Relatively low concentrations of the silicate species and well-controlled silica condensation rates are responsible for the formation of the observed spherical morphology.The synthetic process is of significant practical importance as a result of using low-cost raw materials,and because of the excellent controllability and process stability displayed.Furthermore,this rapid and flexible method may be extended to the synthesis of various silica materials and their composites.

Observation of high-Q optomechanical modes in the mounted silica microspheres

An efficient method to mount a coupled silica microsphere and tapered fiber system is proposed and demonstrated experimentally. For the purpose of optomechanical studies, high-quality-factor optical(Q_o～ 10~8) and mechanical modes(Q_m～ 0.87 × 10~4) are maintained after the mounting process. For the mounted microsphere, the coupling system is more stable and compact and, thus, is beneficial for future studies and applications based on optomechanical interactions. Especially, the packaged optomechanical system, which is tested in a vacuum chamber,paves the way toward quantum optomechanics research in cryostat.

Hybridization of metal–organic framework and monodisperse spherical silica for chromatographic separation of xylene isomers

Metal–organic frameworks(MOFs) packed in the column have been a promising candidate as the stationary phase for high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). However, the direct packing of irregular MOF powder could raise some problems like high back pressure and low column efficiency in the HPLC separation. In this work, UiO-66 capable of separating xylenes was supported effectively on the surface of the monodisperse spherical silica microspheres by one-pot method. The hybridization of Ui O-66 and silica microspheres(termed UiO-66@SiO2 shell–core composite) was prepared by stirring the suspension of the precursors of Ui O-66 and\\COOH terminated silica in the N,N-dimethylformamide with heating. The shell–core composite material UiO66@SiO2 was characterized by SEM, TEM, PXRD and FTIR. Then, it was used as a packing material for the chromatographic separation of xylene isomers. Xylene isomers including o-xylene, m-xylene and p-xylene were efficiently separated on the column with high resolution and good reproducibility. Moreover, the Ui O-66@SiO2 shell–core composites packed column still remained reverse shape selectivity as Ui O-66 possessed, and the retention of xylenes was probably ascribed to the hydrophobic effect between analytes and the aromatic rings of the Ui O-66 shell. The Ui O-66@SiO2 shell–core composites obtained in this study have some potential for the separation of structural isomers in HPLC.

Facile one-pot emulsion/sol-gel method for preparing wrinkled silica microspheres

The present manuscript describes a facile and versatile method for preparing uniform wrinkled silica microspheres with diameters of tens of microns.The method comprises a one-pot emulsion/sol-gel method using silica precursors of organosilane and tetraethoxysilane.By controlling the sol-to-gel transition of the silica precursors,a series of silica microspheres based on uniform emulsion droplets was synthesized by membrane emulsification.The silica microspheres had a variety of surface morphologies ranging from smooth,maze-like wrinkles to polygon-like ravines.It was possible to alter the surface morphologies of the microspheres by controlling the amount of organosilane in the dispersed phase and the amount of ammonia catalyst in the continuous phase of the emulsion.The grooves on the wrinkled microspheres were able to trap polymer nanoparticles of matching size,thereby demonstrating the potential usefulness of the microspheres in separation science and drug delivery.

Mesoporous Silica Microspheres Composited with SBA-15s for Resonance Frequency Reduction in a Miniature Loudspeaker

Microspheres composited with mesoporous SBA-15 particles and silica were investigated as fillers in miniature loudspeakers to study the factors influencing the resonance frequency offsets(RFOs).Mesoporous silica microspheres(MSMs)were prepared by self-assembling SBA-15 mesoporous silica in a microemulsion synthesis system.The formation process involved the fabrication of a stable O/W microemulsion of tetrabutyl orthosili-cate(TBOS)and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide(C16TAB)and encapsulation of SBA-15s.The RFO increased and then decreased with increasing particle size(in the length range of 0.7—5.5 μm and in the width range of 0.2—0.45 μm),increased with increasing pore size(in the range of 7.0—9.4 nm)of SBA-15s,and increased with decreasing particle size(105—900 μm)of MSMs.

疏水微介孔Me-SiO_(2)改性silicalite-1膜用于脱醇性能研究

在大孔α-Al_(2)O_(3)载体上采用二次水热生长法制备silicalite-1沸石膜。为了弥补沸石膜的缺陷并提高其疏水性,利用甲基三乙氧基硅烷(MTES)和正硅酸四乙酯(TEOS)水解共聚后的杂化有机硅Me-SiO_(2)对沸石膜进行修饰改性。结果表明,形成的Me-SiO_(2)溶胶平均粒径18 nm,经N_(2)吸脱附等温线测试,表明其具有微介孔性质(孔径1.5和3.0 nm);经凝胶化后形成疏水性的Me-SiO_(2)/silicalite-1复合膜,其厚度分别为500 nm/10μm,表面静态接触角可达134°。在渗透汽化分离低质量分数乙醇/水时,经Me-SiO_(2)修饰的silicalite-1膜渗透侧的水通量约为未修饰前的1/4,而在增加的膜层阻力下乙醇通量仍然得到保持甚至提高。这说明Me-SiO_(2)修饰了膜的亲水缺陷,增强了乙醇的吸附和对水的排斥,从而提高了脱醇性能。通过优化溶胶质量分数,2.0%Me-SiO_(2)溶胶修饰silicalite-1膜的分离性能达到最佳,在温度为60℃、质量分数为5%乙醇/水溶液中,渗透通量达到4.3 kg×m^(-2)×h^(-1),分离因子为24.5。

SYNTHESIS OF MESOPOROUS POLY(STYRENE-co-MALEIC ANHYDRIDE)/SILICA HYBRID MATERIALS VIA A NONSURFACTANT-TEMPLATED SOL-GEL PROCESS

Mesoporous poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)/silica hybrid materials have been prepared. The synthesis was achieved by the HCl-catalyzed sol-gel reactions of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer in the presence of 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) as a coupling agent and citric acid as a nonsurfactant template or pore-forming agent, followed by ethanol extraction. Characterization results from nitrogen sorption isotherms and powder X-ray diffraction indicate that polymer-modified mesoporous materials with large specific surface areas (e.g. 900 m(2)/g) and pore volumes (e.g. 0.6 cm(3)/g) could be prepared. As the citric acid concentration is increased, the specific surface areas, pore volumes and pore diameters of the hybrid materials increase.

A Simple Approach to Fabricate CdS-SiO_2 Hybrid Microspheres by Producing CdS Nanoparticles on the Surface of Thiolated SiO_2 Microspheres

We have developed a simple synthetic method to prepare the hybrid microspheres of CdS nanoparticles on the surface of silica microspheres modified by（3-mercaptopropyl） trimethoxysilane（MPS）. The--SH groups of MPS can bind with the Cd^2＋ ions on the surface of SiO2. When thioacetamide releases H2S, the nanosized CdS particles（ 1-6 nm） will successfully be generated on the silica surface under the experimental conditions. The size of the CdS nanoparticles was found to be related to the concentration of Cd^2 ＋ feed and the size of silica spheres, the higher the concentration of Cd^2＋ and the larger of silica microspheres, the bigger the size of CdS nanoparticles. Techniques including UV, PL, TEM and XPS were used to characterize the CdS-SiO2 hybrid microspheres.

Preparation and Characterization of Hybrid Aqueous Dispersions Composed of Silica Sol and Poly(styrene-co-acrylate)

A stable silica sol with 3-5 nm in diameter, which can form homogeneous film without crack, was prepared and characterized. Then, the inorganic-organic hybrid aqueous dispersion composed of such a silica sol and an emulsion of styrene （St） and acrylate （Ac） copolymer was prepared and the hybrid effect between the silica sol and poly（St-co-Ac） was observed by Fourier transform infra-red （FT-IR） spectroscope. The toughness of the film prepared by this kind of hybrid aqueous dispersion was excellent, as it was enhanced appreciably by commixing with a small amount of poly（St-co-Ac） emulsion. Some amino-polysiloxane modified hybrid aqueous dispersions were also prepared and the properties of the modified dispersions and their films were investigated. The experimental results showed that the film prepared with such an amino-polysiloxane modified hybrid dispersion exhibited excellent hydrophobicity and low surface energy after heat treatment for 1.5 h, during which the formation of the graft copolymer was observed. The surface energy of this film decreases as a result of the enrichment of siloxane segments on the film surface.

Polymer-free electrospun separator film comprising silica nanofibers and alumina nanoparticles for Li-ion full cell

A separator film for high-performance Li-ion batteries was prepared by electrospinning. The film had a hybrid morphology of silica nanofibers(SNFs) and alumina nanoparticles(ANPs), with a smooth surface, polymer-free composition, high porosity(79%), high electrolyte uptake(876%), and excellent thermal stability. Contact angle measurements demonstrated the better immersion capability of the SNF-ANP separator film for commercial liquid electrolytes than a commercial CELGARD 2500 separator film. Moreover,compared to the commercial CELGARD 2500 separator, the ionic conductivity of the SNF-ANP separator film was nearly three times higher, the bulk resistance was lower at elevated temperature(120 ℃), the interfacial resistance with lithium metal was lower, and the electrochemical window was wider. Full cells were fabricated to determine the cell performance at room temperature. The specific capacity of the full cell with the SNF-ANP separator film was 165 mAh g-1;the cell was stable for 100 charge/discharge cycles and exhibited a capacity retention of 99.9%. Notably, the electrospun SNF-ANP separator film can be safely used in Li-ion or Li-S rechargeable batteries.

Loading of tacrolimus containing lipid based drug delivery systems into mesoporous silica for extended release

Many studies had been focused on designing tacrolimus sustained release preparations based on solid dispersion technique, but no one had tried to employ mesoporous silica as the carrier material to realize this goal. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel, simple and environmental friendly drug loading method with mesoporous silica to obtain tacrolimus sustained-release preparation. Tacrolimus was firstly dissolved in the molten mixed lipid composed of Compritol 888 ATO and Gelucire 50/13 to prepare a drug loaded lipid-based drug delivery systems(LBDDS), then the liquid LBDDS was adsorbed by mesoporous silica to transfer the liquid into solid powder, ie. the tacrolimus sustained release silica-lipid hybrid(SLH). The SLH was characterized by SEM, CLSM, XRPD and DSC, and the in vitro drug release was tested using a paddle method. SEM and CLSM observation showed that the LBDDS was efficiently distributed throughout the pores of the silica. The results of DSC and XRPD illustrated that the lipid existed inside the silica at amorphous state. The drug-loaded SLH showed good flowability, compressibility, compactibilty and two-phase in vitro drug release process within 24 hours, which did not change obviously even after storage at 40 °C for 10 d.The present study provided a novel and simple method to prepare tacrolimus sustained release powder, which provided a feasible solution to solidify the liquid LBDDS of not only extended drug release behavior, but also improved stability and micromeritic properties.

The 8×10 GHz Receiver Optical Subassembly Based on Silica Hybrid Integration Technology for Data Center Interconnection

An 8×10 GHz receiver optical sub-assembly （ROSA） consisting of an 8-channel arrayed waveguide grating （AWG） and an 8-channel PIN photodetector （PD） array is designed and fabricated based on silica hybrid integration technology. Multimode output waveguides in the silica AWG with 2% refractive index difference are used to obtain fiat-top spectra. The output waveguide facet is polished to 45° bevel to change the light propagation direction into the mesa-type PIN PD, which simplifies the packaging process. The experimentM results show that the single channel I dB bandwidth of AWG ranges from 2.12nm to 3.06nm, the ROSA responsivity ranges from 0.097 A/W to 0.158A/W, and the 3dB bandwidth is up to 11 GHz. It is promising to be applied in the eight-lane WDM transmission system in data center interconnection.

A Comparative Study of the Phase Distribution in Carbon-Silica Hybrid Fillers for Rubber Obtained by Different Methods

Different types of carbon-silica fillers were prepared via pyrolysis-cum-water vapor of waste green tires tread and impregnation method. Dual phase fillers have been characterized by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) or STEM-EDX. Phase distribution in hybrid fillers for rubber was investigated. The results achieved show that the conditions of obtaining influence the distribution and the location of the phases in the carbon-silica hybrid fillers as well as their most essential characteristics including specific area, oil absorption number, iodine adsorption number, ash content and others.

Novel Bilayer-Shelled N,O-Doped Hollow Porous Carbon Microspheres as High Performance Anode for Potassium-Ion Hybrid Capacitors

With the advantages of high energy/power density,long cycling life and low cost,dual-carbon potassium ion hybrid capacitors(PIHCs)have great potential in the field of energy storage.Here,a novel bilayer-shelled N,O-doped hollow porous carbon microspheres(NOHPC)anode has been prepared by a self-template method,which is consisted of a dense thin shell and a hollow porous spherical core.Excitingly,the NOHPC anode possesses a high K-storage capacity of 325.9 mA h g^(−1)at 0.1 A g^(−1)and a capacity of 201.1 mAh g^(−1)at 5 A g^(−1)after 6000 cycles.In combination with ex situ characterizations and density functional theory calculations,the high reversible capacity has been demonstrated to be attributed to the co-doping of N/O heteroatoms and porous structure improved K+adsorption and intercalation capabilities,and the stable long-cycling performance originating from the bilayer-shelled hollow porous carbon sphere structure.Meanwhile,the hollow porous activated carbon microspheres(HPAC)cathode with a high specific surface area(1472.65 m^(2)g^(−1))deriving from etching NOHPC with KOH,contributing to a high electrochemical adsorption capacity of 71.2 mAh g^(−1)at 1 A g^(−1).Notably,the NOHPC//HPAC PIHC delivers a high energy density of 90.1 Wh kg^(−1)at a power density of 939.6 W kg^(−1)after 6000 consecutive charge-discharge cycles.

Fabrication of Microporous Film and Microspheres Hybrids

Hybrids consisting of a microporous film and polymeric microspheres were fabricated via a simple method without a special apparatus. Highly ordered microporous polymer films with honeycomb structure were fabricated by a dissipative process utilizing amphiphilic poly(acrylic acid)- block-polystyrene, which was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization followed by an acid-catalyzed ester cleavage reaction. In order to embed the microsphere efficiently, the dried microporous films should be soaked in methanol to alter the surface functionality and to improve the wettability of the film surface. The introduction of amino functionality to polystyrene microspheres by seeded polymerization of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate drastically improved the embedding efficiency. The effect of open pore size was also investigated.

SYNTHESIS OF HYBRID MESOPOROUS POLYSTYRENE-SILICA MATERIALS WITH NON-SURFACTANT CITRIC ACID AS TEMPLATE VIA SOL-GEL PROCESS

Hybrid mesoporous polystyrene-silica materials were successfully prepared through HCl-catalyzed sol-gel reactions of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and triethoxysilyl-functionalized polystyrene obtained via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene, in the presence of citric acid (CA) as non-surfactant template or pore-forming agent and followed by ethanol extraction to remove template molecules. The materials were characterized by infrared spectroscopy OR), N-2 adsorption-desorption measurements, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicate that the materials prepared with 50 wt%-60 wt% template contents have average pore sizes of 2-3 nm and large surface areas (ca. 886 m(2)/g) as well as high pore volumes (ca. 0.53 cm(3)/g). The mesoporosity arises from interconnected channels and pores with disordered arrangements. The pore diameters and pore volumes increase as the template content is increased. The pore diameters show a little change upon heating at 200degreesC overnight. However, the materials do not have good hydrothermal stability.

Internal modification in transparent hybrid germanium-silica plates using plasma formation induced by a femtosecond laser

The fabrication of an internal diffraction grating with photoinduced refractive index modification in planar hybrid germanium-silica plates was demonstrated using low-density plasma formation excited by a high-intensity femtosecond (150 fs) Ti:sapphire laser (λp=790 nm).The refractive index modifications with diameters ranging from 400 nm to 3 μm were photoinduced after plasma formation occurred upon irradiation with peak intensities of more than 2×1013 W/cm2.The graded refractive index profile was fabricated to be a symmetric around from the center of the point at which low-density plasma occurred.

SYNTHESIS OF CATALYSIS BY THE FUNCTIONALIZATION OF SILICA AND ITS APPLICATIONS

Hybrid organic-inorganic silica materials containing organic functional groups have been preparedby the reaction of activated silica with a silane coupling reagent such as N-(2-aminoethyl)3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane. The hybrid silica was further modified by organic compounds having abifunctional group. These modified hybrid silicas were used as catalysts for various nucleophilic reactions.And also, these were complexed with metallic ions for use as catalysts for oxygen oxidation of hydrocarbons.

Elaboration of Materials with Functionality Gradients by Assembly of Chitosan-Collagen Microspheres Produced by Microfluidics

Biopolymers extracted from renewable resources like chitosan and collagen exhibit interesting properties for the elaboration of materials designed for tissue engineering applications,among which are their hydrophilicity,biocompatibility and biodegradability.In many cases,functional recovery of an injured tissue or organ requires oriented cell outgrowth,which is particularly critical for nerve regeneration.Therefore,there is a growing interest for the elaboration of materials exhibiting functionalization gradients able to guide cells.Here,we explore an original way of elaborating such gradients by assembling particles from a library of functionalized microspheres.We propose a simple process to prepare chitosan-collagen hybrid microspheres by micro-and milli-fluidics,with adaptable dimensions and narrow size distributions.The adhesion and survival rate of PC12 cells on hybrid microspheres were compared to those on pure chitosan ones.Finally,functionalized microspheres were assembled into membranes exhibiting a functionalization gradient.