Improved Reverse Micelle method for the green synthesis of pH sensitive solid CaCO3 micro/nano scale particles

Marjan Nasseh

Cancer is the second most frequent cause of death in the world today and a huge global problem for the society. Current drug delivery systems used in the treatment of cancer suffer from a number of problematic issues, like poor plasma half-life and poor release profile of therapeutic agents. To overcome these limitations, recent research has focused on using calcium carbonate(CaCO3) micro/nanoparticles as carrier-based systems to improve drug therapies and clinical outcomes. The present study investigates and evaluates a newly developed Reverse Micelle method for generating micro/nanometre scale CaCO3 powders for potential use as a drug carrier platform. XRD spectroscopy revealed the CaCO3 was in the form of calcite and it had a mean crystallite size of 9.3nm. However, the study found the Reverse Micelle method had a preference to produce larger micrometre scale particles instead of only nanometre scale particles. Both SEM and particle analysis revealed 45.46% of the particles were between 8 and 16μm and the mean particle size was 10μm.The resulting calcite ultra-powders were found to have a relatively low specific surface area of around 0.577 m2 g−1 and also found to display poor adsorption behaviour towards Rhodamine B. To explain this behaviour, the study suggests water present in the washing and centrifuging stage promotes the dissolution and re-crystallisation, thus, promoting further growth of the calcite particles. In addition, the FT-IR analysis suggests surfactant residue, persistent even after extensive washing, is responsible for the poor adsorption behaviour of the calcite powders. However, in spite of the shortcomings, the present research has established the Proof of Concept for the innovative Reverse Micelle method. And the results from the research were used to apply for an Australian Innovation Patent, which was subsequently granted. Thus, validating the Proof of Concept and the quality of the research carried out as part of the present work.

Improved Reverse Micelle method for the green synthesis of pH sensitive solid CaCO3 micro/nano scale particles

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