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Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Fabricating Superhydrophobic Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 28, 2015
Stretch-Induced Drug Delivery from Superhydrophobic Polymer Composites: Use of Crack Propagation Failure Modes for
Julia Wang1, Jonah A Kaplan1, Yolonda L Colson2
1Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
Abstract:
The concept of using crack propagation in polymeric materials to control drug release and its first demonstration are reported. The composite drug delivery system consists of highly-textured superhydrophobic electrosprayed microparticle coatings, composed of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers poly(caprolactone) and poly(glycerol monostearate carbonate-co-caprolactone), and a cellulose/polyester core. The release of entrapped agents is controlled by the magnitude of applied strain, resulting in a graded response from water infiltration through the propagating patterned cracks in the coating. Strain-dependent delivery of the anticancer agents cisplatin and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin to esophageal cancer cells (OE33) in vitro is observed. Finally the device is integrated with an esophageal stent to demonstrate delivery of fluorescein diacetate, using applied tension, to an ex vivo esophagus.
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