# Role of surface heterogeneous nucleation on nanoporous drug delivery systems

## TL;DR

This study explores how heterogeneous nucleation affects nanoporous silicon carriers loaded with beta-carotene, revealing a tradeoff between drug loading capacity and release reproducibility, and proposing an improved monitoring method.

## Contribution

It uncovers the fundamental limitation caused by heterogeneous nucleation in nanoporous drug carriers and introduces an alternative monitoring approach.

## Key findings

- Heterogeneous nucleation limits drug loading and release consistency.
- A new method improves detection of nucleation events.
- Tradeoff identified between loading capacity and reproducibility.

## Abstract

In this work we investigate the use of nanoporous carrier as drug delivery systems for hydrophobic molecules. By studying a model system made of porous silicon loaded with beta-carotene, we unveil a fundamental limitation of these carriers that is due to heterogeneous nucleation that imposes a tradeoff between the amount of drug loaded and the reproducibility of the release. Nonetheless, such issue is an alternative and improved method, compared with the standard induction time, to monitor the formation of heterogenously nucleated aggregates.