Why is the nanoscale special (or not)? Fundamental properties and how it relates to the design of nano-enabled drug delivery systems

Abstract

Nanoscience studies describe natural phenomena at the submicron scale. Below a critical nanoscale limit, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of materials show a marked departure in their behavior compared to the bulk. At the nanoscale, energy conversion is dominated by phonons, whereas at larger scales, electrons determine the process. The surface-to-volume ratio at the nanoscale is immense, and interfacial interactions are markedly more important than at the macroscopic level, where the majority of the material is shielded from the surface. These properties render the nanoparticles to be significantly different from their larger counterparts. Nano-enabled drug delivery systems have resulted from multidisciplinary cooperation aimed at improving drug delivery. Significant improvements in the thermodynamic and delivery properties are seen due to nanotechnology. Hybrid nanodelivery systems, i.e., membranes with nanopores that can gate stimuli-responsive drug release could be a future development. Nanotechnology will improve current drug delivery and create novel future delivery systems. The fundamental properties and challenges of nanodelivery systems are discussed in this review.

Keywords

• nano-enabled drug delivery
• nanoparticle
• nanotechnology
• physicochemical properties