Porous nanocomposites of PEG-PLA/calcium phosphate: room-temperature synthesis and its application in drug delivery

We report room-temperature preparation of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polylactide (PEG-PLA)/calcium phosphate (CP) nanocomposites with a porous morphology. The reaction time and concentration of the inorganic ingredients play an important role in the morphology and chemical composition of the nanocomposite. Thermogravimetry analysis shows that there is approximately 8.5 wt.% of PEG-PLA block copolymer in the nanocomposite. A typical anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen, is used to evaluate the drug loading ability and the release behavior of the porous PEG-PLA/CP nanocomposite. The experiments reveal that the nanocomposite has a higher drug loading capacity and favorable drug release property. The drug release kinetics of the porous PEG-PLA/CP nanocomposite is discussed as a three-stage process. The as-prepared porous PEG-PLA/CP nanocomposite is promising for application in drug delivery.