Characterization of porous nanoparticles using the lattice Boltzmann method for fluid flow.

Abstract

Nanoporous capsules have been the subject of intense investigation in the field of drug delivery. One of the essential properties of such particles, which requires characterization, is their structure. Many experimental techniques have been used for this purpose, such as wide-angle neutron or x-ray scattering, or light scattering. Herein, we report theoretical data on the relationship between the size, porosity, and drag force of porous particles. Data were obtained from a numerical procedure based on the lattice Boltzmann method for the calculation of the creeping flow over porous spherical objects. Previous analytical solutions to the hydrodynamic equations yielded different predictions for the drag force under conditions of high permeability. In the light of our findings, we compared our data to previous divergent analytical solutions and analyzed experimental results for dynamic and static light scattering of porous membrane vesicles. Our findings strongly indicate a potential source of error that has led to inconsistencies in DLS measurements when compared to other techniques.