Modelling the Controlled Release of Substances through a Polymer Membrane in a Biological Environment

conference proceedings

English

Hydrogels are becoming the focus of increasing interest in research due to their unique properties, especially in transport and release of substances. These three-dimensional hydrophilic systems have the ability to retain large amounts of water and biological fluids, which increases their biocompatibility and widens the spectrum of applications. The research of these materials makes it possible to investigate and model the transport and release of substances into the biological environment]. Understanding the basic parameters controlling the release of substances through the polymer membrane is crucial for accurate simulation and prediction of the overall release profile. A common mechanism used in modeling is diffusion governed by Fick´s law with constant or variable diffusion coefficients. The aim of this work was to develop and evaluate a two-dimensional axisymmetric model with defined materials, for which different values of porosity and diffusion coefficients were included. The diffusion coefficient is a less interesting variable in the field of transport properties, as it is influenced by the size of the molecules and the characteristics of the polymer network. By changing such a variable, the course of release of the model substance can be influenced, which makes it possible to change the properties of the designed hydrogel systems according to the required applications. The creation of the model was carried out in the COMSOL Multiphysics software environment. Transport of Diluted Species physics was used, in which the Porous Medium condition was included, and Laminar Flow physics were also presented in the model. Although the flow rate was zero, the gravity condition was introduced. The obtained graphs of the dependence of concentration on time and the model describe the course of transport, respectively. releasing the substance through the polymer membrane into the biological environment. The designed model should correspond to a real sample of fertilizer or gel balls containing a medicinal or bioactive substance. Model dye (e.g. methylene blue) was used to determine the release properties using the appropriate experimental methods. Using COMSOL Multiphysics, we were able to quantitatively evaluate the release process of a model substance through a polymer membrane into the biological environment and investigate the influence of various factors, including changes in the values of the diffusion coefficient and porosity of the polymer membrane. In the study devoted to time dependence, all the obtained data indicate that by changing the diffusion coefficient or porosity, the course of release of the model substance can be influenced, which makes it possible to change the transport or release properties of hydrogel systems according to the desired applications.

COMSOL Multiphysics, Controlled release, polymer membrane, transport phenomena

ZHURAULIOVA, D.; PEKAŘ, M.

30. 11. 2023

Vysoké učení technické v Brně, Fakulta chemická

Purkyňova 464/118, 612 00 Brno, Česká republika

978-80-214-6204-5

Studentská odborná konference Chemie je život 2023 Sborník abstraktů

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