Research Initiation Award: Investigating the Kinetics of Vitrification and Crystallization of Electrospun Nanofibrous Carrier for Improved Stability and Drug Loading Capacity

Prairie View A & M University, Prairie View TX

Investigators

Abstract

Research Initiation Awards support junior and mid-career faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are building new research programs or redirecting and rebuilding existing research programs. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improves research and teaching at the home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences. The research initiation award to Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) supports research in the Chemical Engineering department. The project aims to gain an in-depth knowledge of crystallization at the nanoscale and develop new processing strategies to make stable forms of nanofibers to deliver drugs. It enhances the research capabilities of PVAMU and educates and trains new generations of minority and women STEM professionals. In addition, this project has broader significance by supporting hands-on research training and career development opportunities for underrepresented minority students through strong mentor-mentee interactions and advancing the chemical engineering research capability. The fundamental knowledge of the research relates to the crystallization process from the glassy state to understand the structural transformation of nanofibers. The release pattern of the loaded drug from the nanofibrous scaffold depends on the crystalline and amorphous arrangement of the matrix. The challenge to understanding the nanoconfinement influence on crystallization lies in the varying roles of kinetics and thermodynamics of materials. The goal is to gain in-depth knowledge of the kinetics of crystallization of electrospun nanofibers and obtain quantitative measurements of the thermal properties such as glass transition temperature, crystallization temperature, and melting temperature of polymeric scaffolds using Flash Differential Scanning Calorimetry (FDSC). The project will (1) investigate the influence of the vitrification path on cold crystallization above the glass transition temperature and crystallization from the glassy state and (2) characterize the crystallization process from the heat-flow curves and evaluate the onset time (beginning of crystallization) and the peak time of the crystallization (maximum crystallization rate) as a function of temperature. The crystallization, or devitrification, from the glassy state uses the time-temperature-transformation diagram as a framework for crystallizing materials and glass transition temperature for amorphous materials. The successful completion of project goals will contribute to loading a wide variety of soluble drugs into the nanofibers for improving their bioavailability and attaining their controlled release. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.