Fractal analysis of tissue biocompatible neuroreservoir

Sol-gel nanostructured titania (TiO ₂) was functionalized in order to produce a nanomaterial biocompatible with brain tissue. Neuroreservoirs made from titania microtubes have been used to release sodium phenytoin and valproic acid. In vitro and in vivo probes were used to treat the epilepsy disease. Pore space topology and interactions between matrix and drug are the most important phenomena that affect the drug diffusion and liberation kinetics. Accordingly, fractal morphology of nanostructured titania as a function of pH and polarity of the drug added during the gelation reactions was studied. The transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and N ₂ adsorption (BET) were employed to characterize the nanomaterials with maximum amount of air hollows occluded inside a drug. It was found that the clusters and pores in nanostructured titania are characterized by the universal fractal dimensions D _chester =1.85±0.05 and D _pore = 1.78±0.05. However, the characteristic sizes of particles and pores, the porosity, and the fractal dimension of pore surface (D _ps) are dependent on hydrolysis water concentration added during the gelation reaction. So, the matrix hydroxylation permits to control the drug liberation kinetics.