Nanoporous Template Confinement for Nano-Amorphous Materials
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Poor water and oil solubility of hydrophobic drugs and materials limits their utilization and absorption in various industries, including pharmaceuticals and catalysts.
Innovation Solution
A method to produce nano-amorphous materials by solidifying compounds within nanometer-sized pores of porous templates, preventing crystallization and achieving an amorphous state with higher free energy, large surface area, and improved solubility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hydrophobic drugs are used to achieve desired pharmaceutical effects, then therapeutic efficacy is improved, but water solubility deteriorates leading to poor absorption
Solution Approach 1:
The drug material is segmented into nanoscale particles (1-100 nm) that are confined within porous template structures. This segmentation increases the surface area to volume ratio and prevents crystallization, thereby improving water solubility while maintaining therapeutic efficacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state parameter of the drug from crystalline to amorphous by confining it within nanoporous templates. This parameter change from ordered crystalline structure to disordered amorphous state significantly enhances solubility and dissolution rate while preserving the drug's therapeutic properties.
2Stability of the object's composition
If crystalline structure is formed for material stability, then storage stability is improved, but solubility and dissolution rate deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from bulk crystalline material to nanoscale amorphous material confined within porous structures. This dimensional change at the nanoscale prevents the formation of stable crystalline lattices while maintaining compositional stability through physical confinement, thereby achieving both stability and enhanced solubility.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of porous template materials with controlled pore sizes (1-100 nm) provides physical confinement that stabilizes the amorphous state of the drug. The porous structure prevents molecular reorganization into crystalline forms while allowing solvent penetration, thus maintaining both stability and solubility.
3Quantity of substance
If additional components are added to improve solubility, then dissolution rate is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for additional solubility-enhancing components by using purely physical confinement methods. The nanoporous template structure alone is sufficient to maintain the drug in an amorphous state and enhance dissolution, removing the complexity associated with formulating and manufacturing multi-component systems.
4Quantity of substance
If nanoscale confinement is applied to achieve amorphous state, then solubility is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the approach to achieving amorphous state from requiring extremely precise pore size control to using a broader range of nanoporous materials. The key parameter change is from controlling exact pore dimensions to controlling the nanoscale confinement effect, which can be achieved with various porous materials having pore sizes in the 1-100 nm range, thereby reducing manufacturing precision requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method significantly enhances solubility and dissolution rates of hydrophobic materials, maintaining the amorphous state for extended periods, reducing manufacturing costs, and avoiding undesirable effects from additional components.
Implementation Method 1
solidifying or hardening the materials inside nanometer-sized pores of porous media (i.e., porous templates)... Due to the spatial constraint of nanometer-sized pores, the solidification inside cannot reach the crystallization condition, and thus leads to an amorphous state at nanometer scale
Implementation Method 2
dissolving compounds more easily with a higher concentration and a faster dissolution rate than the crystalline counterpart in various solvents
Data Source
AI summary
The subject invention pertains to methods to produce amorphous materials at nanometer scale, by solidifying or hardening the materials inside nanometer-sized pores of porous media (i.e., porous templates). The porous templates can be made by packing nanometer-sized particles or other means. The subject invention further pertains to methods to produce the porous templates used to produce amorphous material at nanometer scale.