Unassisted Solventless Mesopore Filling of SBA-15 with Ibuprofen: A Solid-State Study and Long-Term Characterization

Herein, the incorporation of ibuprofen into mesopores of the SBA-15 material was observed in systems where both organic and inorganic phases were in the solid state. The filling of pores was ascribed to sublimation and adsorption in the pores. The loading of pores increased with the mixing time during the preparation of the physical mixture. Regardless of the mixing duration, after 1 month on the shelf, every sample exhibited the same porosity and intensities of 1H MAS NMR spectra. Long-term studies of the physical mixture of ibuprofen and SBA-15 included X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption, MAS NMR, electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) characterization. The studies unequivocally showed that ibuprofen spontaneously enters the mesopores over time without any additional treatment. After 1 month, the sample resembles the reference, with the pores filled using the melting method. These results are potentially significant for every solid-state method of preparation of drug delivery systems.