Graphene quantum dots nanoparticles changed the rheological properties of hydrophilic gels (carbopol)

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have special properties at nanosize zone, as highly tunable photoluminescence, electrochemiluminescence and multiphoton excitation, that make them promising nanoagents for drug delivery systems. In this direction the use of gels to formulate nanodrugs, for both in vitro and in vivo assay is required. However, the presence of GQDs nanoparticles may affect the rheological parameters. These changes may influence the biological behavior of this formulation as change the pharmacological application. In this study we evaluated the effect of adding GQDs to carbopol gels formulation, in terms of rheological properties. In this direction, carbopol gels alone and loaded with GQDs were studied. The results of pure carbopol formulation showed a non Newtonian, pseudo-plastic fluid without thixotropic behavior. Otherwise, the presence of GQDs in the carbopol formulation (carbopol loaded with GQDs) caused a reduction on the viscosity and modified the interactions between the polymer chains leading to the transformation of the initial gel into a viscous fluid. This alteration can change drastically the use of these formulations, especially for drug delivery, since slightly changes in viscosity can influence the occlusion, retention and permeability of these nanoparticles into biological barriers. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.