Porous silicon nanomaterials: recent advances in surface engineering for controlled drug-delivery applications

• Published in: Nanomedicine (London, England) Vol. 14; no. 24; pp. 3213 - 3230
• Main Authors: Zhang, De-Xiang, Esser, Lars, Vasani, Roshan B, Thissen, Helmut, Voelcker, Nicolas H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Future Medicine Ltd 01.12.2019
• Subjects: Acids; active targeting; application; Copyright; drug delivery; Electrolytes; Etching; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Polymers; Pore size; porous silicon; pSi-polymer hybrids; Quantum dots; Scanning electron microscopy; Silicon wafers; stealth coating; stimuli-responsive; surface modification; Transmission electron microscopy; stealth coating; porous silicon; surface modification; drug delivery; in vivo application; stimuli-responsive; active targeting; pSi-polymer hybrids
• ISSN: 1743-5889; 1748-6963
• DOI: 10.2217/nnm-2019-0167

Porous silicon (pSi) nanomaterials are increasingly attractive for biomedical applications due to their promising properties such as simple and feasible fabrication procedures, tunable morphology, versatile surface modification routes, biocompatibility and biodegradability. This review focuses on recent advances in surface modification of pSi for controlled drug delivery applications. A range of functionalization strategies and fabrication methods for pSi-polymer hybrids are summarized. Surface engineering solutions such as stimuli-responsive polymer grafting, stealth coatings and active targeting modifications are highlighted as examples to demonstrate what can be achieved. Finally, the current status of engineered pSi nanomaterials for applications is reviewed and future prospects and challenges in drug-delivery applications are discussed.