Graphene Xerogel for Drug Release

By functionalizing reduced graphene oxide with polydopamine, the production of a two-dimensional hydrophilicplatform with hydrophobic areas, suitable for the stabilization and slow and controlled release of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, was realized. The functionalized graphene was first enriched with different organic drug molecules, either hydrophilic, such as doxorubicin, or hydrophobic, such as curcumin or quercetin, and then incorporated into a xerogel of chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol. The graphene substrate stabilizes the xerogel in water and effectively controls the release of doxorubicin for more than three weeks. The release of curcumin and quercetin in the aqueous environment was equally successful but at different rates. The drug-loaded xerogels also worked effectively after their incorporation into a hemostatic cotton gauze.