Preparation and Characterization of Polyethylene Glycol Coated Silica Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Application

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) coated silica nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and were used to load the drug Ibuprofen. The silica nanoparticles synthesized through Stober's method were in the range of 10 – 150 nm in dimension. Monodisperse, spherical PEG –coated silica nanoparticles have been prepared and characterized for the purpose of drug loading. The PEG coated silica nanoparticle size were analysed through scanning electron microscope (SEM) and their size ranged from about 150 – 400 nm in diameter. The PEG coated silica particle mixed with ibuprofen solution (1.8 mg/ml) was stirred for 48 hrs and the amount of the drug loaded was determined to be 16% (by wt) for the monodisperse, spherical PEG coated silica nanoparticle.