Using misting technology found in household humidifiers, University of Illinois chemists developed a new method to create silicone microspheres. The tiny spheres could have applications in targeted medicine and imaging.
Microspheres, tiny spheres as small as a red blood cell, have shown promise as agents for targeted drug delivery to tissues, as contrast agents for medical imaging, and in industrial applications.
The Illinois team uses a technique called ultrasonic spray pyrolysis, which employs humidifier technology to create a mist of ultrafine droplets. The researchers send a mist containing all the ingredients of silicone through a heated tube, which solidifies the mist into tiny spheres. Because the droplets are all separate within the mist, they do not stick together like they do in an emulsion.
The researchers made silicone microspheres with a variety of properties for different applications, including colored, fluorescent, and magnetic spheres. Because the spheres are bio-inert, and therefore do not react with chemicals in the body, the researchers believe the spheres would be excellent vessels for extended-release pharmaceuticals. The team is also exploring potential applications of solid, hollow, and magnetic microspheres.
