UV curable polyester polyol acrylate/bentonite nanocomposites: synthesis, characterization, and drug release.

Polyesterpolyolacrylate/bentonite nanocomposites, capable of in situ photo polymerization, were synthesized and characterized. The organically modified bentonite clay was prepared by an ion exchange process, in which sodium ions were replaced by alkyl ammonium ions. Organo modification of bentonite was confirmed from X-ray diffraction and fourier transform-infrared data. Microstructures were characterized by XRD data and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Both XRD data and TEM images of polyester polyol acrylate/organo modified bentonite nanocomposites indicated that most of silicate layers were intercalated into the acrylate matrix. The resulting nanocomposites were characterized by gel content, water equilibrium swell, tensile strength, and in vitro degradation. The results showed that water equilibrium swell and in vitro degradation of these nanocomposites decreased with increase in the clay content. The tensile strength of these nanocomposites also increased with increase in the clay content. Release of two model drugs namely sulfamethoxazole and diclofenac sodium (DS) from these nanocomposites was studied in phosphate buffer saline pH = 7.4 at 37 degrees C. The drug release studies showed that sulfamethoxazole released slower than DS from polyester polyol acrylate nanocomposites. Therefore, these materials may be useful for mucoadhesive drug carriers and other biomedical applications.