Immobilizing particles onto surfaces
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Michigan
InventorsPeter X. Ma, Guobao Wei
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Abstract
A method for immobilizing micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof onto a surface is disclosed. The method includes distributing the micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof onto the surface. The surface and the particles are exposed to thermal treatment, vapor treatment or combinations thereof, thereby adhering at least some of the micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof to the surface. Materials including such immobilized micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof are also disclosed herein.
Claims15
A method for immobilizing controlled release agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof onto a polymer surface, the method comprising:
- suspending the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof in a liquid non-solvent of at least one of:
- i) the polymer surface;
- ii) the agent-incorporated polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof;
- or iii) both the polymer surface and the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof, thereby forming a non-solvent-particle suspension;
- adding the suspension to the polymer surface;
- and
- after the adding step, exposing the polymer surface and the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof to vapor treatment, wherein the vapor treatment is applied for about 10 minutes at room temperature, and wherein the vapor treatment involves a solvent vapor of at least one of i) the polymer surface;
- ii) the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof;
- or iii) both the polymer surface and the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof, the vapor treatment being accomplished in a manner sufficient to partially dissolve at least one of:
- surfaces of the polymer surface;
- or surfaces of the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof, thereby adhering at least some of the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof to the polymer surface.
A method for immobilizing controlled release agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof onto a surface of a three-dimensional polymer scaffold having a nano-fibrous network, the method comprising:
- suspending the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof in a solvent material that is a non-solvent of both the surface and the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano- particles or combinations thereof, thereby forming a non-solvent-particle suspension consisting of the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof and the non-solvent, wherein the non-solvent is selected from the group consisting of hexane and cyclohexane;
- adding the suspension directly to the surface;
- and
- then exposing the surface and the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof added to the surface to thermal treatment, wherein the thermal treatment occurs only after adding the suspension directly to the surface, the thermal treatment being accomplished in a manner sufficient to soften at least one of:
- surfaces of the polymer scaffold surface;
- or surfaces of the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof, thereby adhering at least some of the agent-embedded polymer micro-particles, nano-particles or combinations thereof to the surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.