Characterisation and use of porous aluminosilicate pellets for extended drug delivery

Abstract

The initial focus of the research presented in this thesis was on the potential applications of a number of pelletized porous ceramics in drug delivery. These were commercially produced and were marketed for use in the building materials industry and the hydraulic fracturing of oil wells. Characterisation of the porous ceramics showed they were composed of aluminosilicate ceramics, crystalline silica and minor amounts of other materials. Their surfaces were polycationic at low pH’s and polyanionic at higher pH’s. Each ceramic contained highly interconnected open pores with the open porosity and pore size distribution being dependent on the ceramic.