Scientists develop efficient spray technique for bioactive materials

Schematic and photograph of an ESD experiment where a spray plume directed at a grounded target is generated from a solution reservoir held at high voltage. White dashed lines serve as a visual guide for the plume.

Schematic of the spray system and process, highlighting different enhancements (denoted ‘EX’). In stage 1, a negative polarity ethanol spray (E1) is directly sprayed at a large extractor ground (E2) coated in insulating Kapton tape (E3). The focus ring is in place during this treatment, but no clip is applied, so it remains uncharged and ungrounded. In stage 2, a grounded target with an insulating mask (E4) is placed on the extractor ground. It is then sprayed with the positive polarity spray solution stabilized by a focus ring (E5). Both the ring and other nearby metal surfaces are also coated in insulating tape.

Credit: Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40638-7

Rutgers University scientists have developed a highly accurate method for creating coatings of biologically active materials for various medical products. This technique has the potential to revolutionize transdermal medication, including shot-free vaccinations, according to the researchers. In their article published in Nature Communications, the researchers describe an improved approach to electrospray deposition, an industrial spray-coating process. With their advancements, they have achieved greater control over the target region within the spray zone and the electrical properties of the microscopic particles being deposited. This enhanced control increases the likelihood of accurately hitting the microscopic target with the spray.

In electrospray deposition, a high voltage is applied to a flowing liquid, such as a biopharmaceutical, transforming it into fine particles. These droplets evaporate as they travel to a target area, resulting in the deposition of a solid precipitate from the original solution. “While electrospray deposition is generally considered an efficient method, it often falls short when targeting areas smaller than the spray, such as the microneedle arrays in transdermal patches,” explained Jonathan Singer, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Rutgers School of Engineering and co-author of the study. “Current methods only achieve around 40% efficiency. However, through advanced engineering techniques we’ve developed, we can achieve efficiencies that are statistically indistinguishable from 100%.”

Credit: Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40638-7

Coatings play a crucial role in various medical applications, including medical devices implanted in the body like stents, defibrillators, and pacemakers. Additionally, they are increasingly used in products incorporating bioactive materials, such as transdermal patches. Advanced bioactive materials like drugs and vaccines can be expensive to produce, especially if there is any material wastage, which greatly impacts patient access to these treatments. “We wanted to determine if electrospray deposition, a well-established method in analytical chemistry, could be effectively utilized to create biomedically active coatings,” said Singer. Higher efficiencies achieved through improved electrospray deposition could make it more viable for manufacturing medical devices using bioactive materials.

Dyed DNA vaccine coated on a microneedle array by efficient electrospray deposition.

Credit: Sarah H. Park/Rutgers School of Engineering

“Achieving 100% efficiency in deposition means zero material wastage, enabling devices or vaccines to be coated in this manner,” said Sarah Park, a doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the first author of the paper. “We anticipate that future research will expand the range of compatible materials and optimize the material delivery rate of this high-efficiency approach.” Moreover, unlike other manufacturing coating techniques like dip coating and inkjet printing, the new electrospray deposition technique does not require highly accurate positioning of the spray source as it is considered “far field.” This makes the necessary equipment for mass manufacturing more affordable and easier to design.

Other Rutgers scientists involved in the study include Professors Jerry Shan and Hao Lin, former doctoral students Lin Lei (now at Chongqing Jiaotong University) and Emran Lallow (now at GeneOne Life Science, Inc.), and former undergraduate student Darrel D’Souza from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Professors David Shreiber and Jeffrey Zahn, doctoral student Maria Atzampou, and former doctoral student Emily DiMartini from the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

More information: Sarah H. Park et al, Efficient electrospray deposition of surfaces smaller than the spray plume, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40638-7

Provided by Rutgers University

Citation: Scientists develop efficient spray technique for bioactive materials (2023, August 14) retrieved 14 August 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-08-scientists-efficient-spray-technique-bioactive.html

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