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RESEARCH PROGRAM

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Keywords
SUPERCRITICAL FLUIDS; MICROPARTICLES; DRUGS; DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS; MICROCOMPOSITES; CRYSTALLIZATION; PRECIPITATION; CARBON DIOXIDE; IMPREGNATION

Micro-composites materials produced by new supercritical fluids based techniques.

Università degli Studi di Salerno
Abstract
The peculiar characteristics of supercritical fluids and, particularly, of supercritical carbon dioxide allow the replacement of organic solvents in the industrial applications producing new materials not obtainable using the traditional techniques. The research program will study the possibility of obtaining new materials using supercritical fluid based processes. The materials will be basically nano and microparticles of high added value compounds: i.e. an active substance (drugs, but also magnetic substances for diagnostic applications) and a polymer for the preparation of delivery systems.
With respect of previous programmes the reserch units have strongly changed their goals. Particularly, three units have modified the kind of technique and/or the substance to work with. The other two units have finalized their activity to the goal of industrial applications.
Five techniques based on the use of SC-CO2 will applied: Supercritical antisolvent precipitation (SAS precipitation technique), Supercritical assisted atomization techniques (SAA and PGSS), dispersion polymerization and impregnation of polymeric particles with drugs. The research units will be involved both on process engineering and new products development.
The design and construction of bench-scale plants will be carried out, and the effect of process parameters on the properties of the materials will be analysed. The obtained materials will be characterized using advanced analytical >>>

Principal Investigator
Ernesto REVERCHON Università degli Studi di SALERNO
Research Objectives
The research activity on supercritical fluids is a multidisciplinary reserch that cover a quite large number of topics. For example chemical plant design, high pressure technology, material science (drugs, polymers, powders, surfactants etc..).
High costs of this kind of reserch, rapid change of technology and the necessity of new products require the collaboration and the integration of many groups. In Italy there are several research groups of international level operating in the supercritical fluids field; they can be addressed, thanks to the present program, toward fields of remarkable industrial interest. The general aim of this research program is to give an impulse and make competitive the Italian research in the field of the applications of supercritical fluids to "micro e nano technologies". We propose to operate in the field of the generation and synthesis of micro and nano-particles of drugs and polymers for controlled release of active molecules (drug delivery systems). The importance of this aim is well shown by the fact that the development of new technologies is strategic in all the industrialized countries and for many industries.The units have a significant Know-how on five micronization techniques based on SCF as can be drown by recent publications of the participants. These techniques cover the technology until now developed on SCF-based micronizations. The use of many techniques is justified by the need to obtain material with different >>>

Timescale
24 months
National and international background
During the last years it has developed a world wide scientific interest that involves public research institutes but also industries. The first world symposium on supercritical fluids was organized in Nice (France) in 1988 (Ed. M. Perrut, 1988), the other world symposia have been held in 1991 (Ed. M. McHugh), 1994, (Eds. M. Perrut, G. Brunner), 1997 (Ed. K. Arai), 2000 and 2003 (ed. M. Perrut). There is also an international journal specifically devoted supercritical fluids (J. Supercrit. Fluids, Elsevier). The first industrial applications have been developed in Germany, U.S.A. and Japan, most of them are related to food products extraction.
The first Italian congress on supercritical fluids and their applications was organized in Italy in 1991. Then a similar congress was organized in 1993. Starting from 1995 this series of congresses has become international. Chairman of these congresses in 1991, 1993, 1997 and 2001 has been the Scientific Coordinator of this research. In 1995 the chairman was prof. Alessi, responsible of the Research Unit of the University of Trieste. In 1999 the chairman was prof. Bertucco, responsible of the Research Unit of the University of Padova, in 2003 the Chairman was Prof. I. Kikic of the University of Trieste.
Some industrial applications of supercritical fluids have been developed in Italy too. At the present moment there are three industries in Italy operating with supercritical fluids: SDD (Società Decaffeinizzazione, Lavazza >>>