Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Frontiers In The Self-Assembly Of Charged Macromolecules, Khatcher O. Margossian

Doctoral Dissertations

The self-assembly of charged macromolecules forms the basis of all life on earth. From the synthesis and replication of nucleic acids, to the association of DNA to chromatin, to the targeting of RNA to various cellular compartments, to the astonishingly consistent folding of proteins, all life depends on the physics of the organization and dynamics of charged polymers. In this dissertation, I address several of the newest challenges in the assembly of these types of materials. First, I describe the exciting new physics of the complexation between polyzwitterions and polyelectrolytes. These materials open new questions and possibilities within the context …

Application Of Polyelectrolyte Layer-By-Layer Nano-Assembly For Surface Modification, Encapsulation And Controlled Release, Nikhil Anil Pargaonkar

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, we applied the traditional Electrostatic layer-by-layer (ELBL) assembly procedure to fabricate nanothin films over flat surfaces, and modify particle surfaces to influence the drug particle size, and drug release. The ELBL assembly has previously been applied to fabricate multilayer nano-scale thin films, but its ability to instantaneously influencing particle size is unique. Other unique observations such as influence on drug release as a result of polymer complexation, and thermal changes occurring during layer fabrication are recorded.

The ELBL self-assembly process was applied to produce dexamethasone particles layered with various polyelectrolyte layer combinations. These combinations were further applied …