Implication of Water Molecules at the Silica–Ibuprofen Interface in Silica-Based Drug Delivery Systems Obtained through Incipient Wetness Impregnation

The dynamical behavior of ibuprofen or benzoic acid (model molecule of ibuprofen) encapsulated in mesoporous silica is very specific as a very high mobility is evidenced at ambient temperature due to the existence of the confinement effect. In this contribution, we demonstrate through variable temperature 1H MAS NMR experiments that this specific dynamical behavior is also related to a fast chemical exchange that takes place between protons of the COOH group of the organic molecule and protons from water molecules at the surface of the silica for materials obtained through incipient wetness impregnation. This phenomenon implies a weak interaction between the guest molecule and the silica surface that is related to the fast release profile of encapsulated ibuprofen observed in vitro.