LSS- Hydrophobicity at the Nanoscale

Sergei Smirnov

1.)    What does it say about the interaction of the material and water if the contact angle is 89° or below? What does it say if the contact angle is 91 or above?

“Hydrophobic surfaces are characterized by a contact angle with water greater than 90 degrees, as is identified by the Young equation relating the surface tension difference between the wall/vapor and the wall/liquid interfaces to that of the free liquid/vapor interface. A hydrophobic nanopore remains dry until the external pressure exceeds the critical value, which depends on the surface modification and the pore diameter.” See Voltage-Gated Hydrophobic Nanopores article for more information and detail.

 

2.)    Besides the biomedical applications, can you see any other uses for this technology?

Nanopores, the tiny holes formed by proteins, could be used for a variety of applications, including sequencing DNA and detecting anthrax. Researchers reported the latest developments on natural and artificial nanopores and their applications. Also recently, chemists have been working with nanoporous materials to create new self-assembling structures in the organic/inorganic chemistry world.

 

3.)    Why would this drug delivery method be advantageous to current procedures?

Implantable drug delivery devices offer various advantages such as maintenance of therapeutic blood levels, improved patient compliance, and improved safety. Directly from Smirnov’s website: “The goal of the project is to develop and evaluate unique properties of novel hybrid nanomaterials including their possible applications in intracellular drug delivery. Through the development of a new concept of hydrophobicity switching in nanoporous materials that are responsive to various physical and chemical stimuli it will be possible to regulate the transport of molecules and ions.”

 

4.)    If targeted drug delivery became mainstream, could you imagine any negative consequences going along with it?

The disadvantage of the system is high cost which makes productivity more difficult and the reduced ability to adjust the dosages.

 

5.)    Sergei said that his two main challenges in research were money and people. How would you address the line between what you want to research and what you are paid to research?

At the end of the day, you are going to put more effort into something you like to do. However, without funds for these types of research, it will go no where. It has to be a careful balance between the two, but you can definitely be successful as we have seen through Sergei’s hard work.

 

6.)    What are three fun things to do in New Mexico?!