Sol-Gel Silica Particles for Controlled Release Applications

Using sol-gel technology combined with water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions, we have developed an innovative method for producing ceramic particles with independent control over the release rate and particle size. The average particle size can be varied from 10 nm to 100 μm and is controlled by the emulsion chemistry. The release rate can be independently varied from mg/hours to mg/month, and is controlled by the internal microstructure of the particles and the initial sol-gel chemistry.