This document provides details of a project to develop a smart drug delivery device using an electro-active polymer membrane. The project is guided by Prof. Kajari Kargupta and Dr. Saptarshi Majumdar. The device aims to lower side effects, increase drug effectiveness and bioavailability by targeted drug release. Polyaniline is investigated as the electro-active polymer membrane material. Experiments are conducted to characterize the membrane morphology, study drug transport under electric fields, and control release patterns. The findings provide insights into optimizing the device design and electro-deposition parameters to achieve controlled molecular release.

1. Project Guide:
Prof. Kajari Kargupta
Dept. Of Chemical Engineering
Jadavpur University
Dr. Saptarshi Majumdar
Dept. Of Chemical Engineering
Indian Institute Of Technology Hyderabad

2.  Development of Smart Device : An
electro-active Polymer based drug
delivery device

3.  Lower side effects
 Higher affectivity and higher bioavailability of medicines
closed to the affected portion of the body.
 Abandoned product
 Multiple drugs in one shot
 Lower required medical attention for patients

4. Commercial success can be found in following
therapeutic categories:
 Asthma
 Pain Management
 Cardiovascular Disease
 Dermatological
 Women’s Health
Medicines Applications
Dexamethasone Neuro Inflammations
Dopamine Neurotransmitter
Sodium Salisylate Liver treatment
ATP Stimulator

5.  An immobilizing medium that facilitate electron transfer as a result of the occurrence
of an extensively delocalized -molecular orbital system in its structure
 They exhibit the behavior of metals or semi-conductors (low excitation energy)
 The random dispersion or aggregation of dopants in molar concentrations in the
disordered chain like structure of polymers is called “Doping”
 Low and intermediate stages of doping are observed as doping proceeds and polaron
and bipolaron structures are formed.
 Depending upon the various oxidation states they are classified into Emeraldine,
Leucoemeraldine and Pernigraniline states(base or salt)

6. DIFFERENT OXIDATION STATES OF POLYANILINE
Only emeraldine (salt) is conductive

7. IMPORTANCE OF PANI AS A CONDUCTING
POLYMERS
 PANI having protonation, deprotonation and various other physico-chemical
properties due to the presence of this -NH- group.
 Inexpensive monomer, easy synthesis , environmental stability , simple doping by
protonic acids .
 PANI salt is quite stable and shows relatively high level of conductivity .
 When treated with base the conducting PANI salt converts to the base form.
 Electronic structure and electrical properties reversibly controlled by both oxidation
and protonation .

8. Deposition of single and multi-layer thin film (electro-
active polymer)
Studies on transport of ionic drug through polymeric film
under applied time varying electric field.
Design a miniaturized capsule with a polymer membrane
coating for the targeted and controlled release of anionic
drugs essential for therapeutic activity.

9. Two electrode system:
Cathode 25 mm Circular porous Stainless Steel
plate(200 mesh)
Anode Graphite block
Sonication time(Ultra Sonicator: Piezo U Sonic):
2 hrs for PANI-p-TSA solution
30 minutes for PANI-p-TSA+ Dopant solution
Voltage: 30 volts,20 volts,10 volts (Voltage source:
Testronics 92D)
Duration of electrodeposition: 1 hrs,2 hrs,4 hrs
Synthesis of conducting polymer :

10. Testronics Voltage Source
Polymer membrane

11. Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM)
PANI(salt)-p-TSA
50 µm 100 µm

12. Transmission Electron Microscopy
PANI(base)-p-TSA

13.  X-Ray Diffraction
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
0
100
200
300
400
500
Intensity(cps)
2 theta (degrees)
2d sin θ = n λ

14. Studies on transport of ionic drug through
polymeric film under applied time varying
electric field.

15. Voltage (Positive Scan)
+
+
+
- +
- +
- +
-
-
-
Voltage (Negative Scan)
-
-
-
I
Porous Base
CP Film: Modified Working
Electrode
Counter Electrode
Permeate
Side
Feed
Side

16. Schematic Diagram of Experimental
setup for Drug Release Study
DRUG RESERVOIR (A)
MEMBRANE
BODY FLUID (B)
POROUSSILVER
PLATE
L1=10cm
4cm
L2=5cm
2.5cm
COMPUTE
R
RE
SAMPLE WITHDRAWING
A/D
CONVER
TER
4.290
OPENING SLOTWECE
meshGas cade
ONLINE pH and
Conductivity
measurement
Porous
Silver plate
ID 2.5cm
Offline
UV-VIS
Spectrophotometer

18. Platinum mesh (CE)Platinum mesh (CE) Polymer membrane(WE)
Gold thread (RE)

19. An electrode reaction refers to the net oxidation or reduction process that
takes place at an electrode. This reaction may take place in a single
electron-transfer step, or as a succession of two or more steps. The
substances that receive and lose electrons are called the electroactive
species
Three Electrode System
The major advantages of using a reference electrode are:
It is easy to prepare and maintain, and its potential is stable
During an electrode reaction involving a saturated solution of an
insoluble salt of the ion, it helps in maintaining a fixed concentration of
an ionic species

20.  Decrease of the effectiveness of the reference
electrode to stabilize working electrode voltage.
 A resistance towards ion flow between the counter
and working electrodes, creating current dependent
voltage discrepancies due to IR drops

21. 1. Release characteristics from pre-loaded film (with drug)
using a single compartment:
(i) In absence of feed solution
2. Experimentation on release characteristics using two compartment
(feed and permeate side) module
(i) OCP run: Study on diffusion characteristic with no applied voltage
(ii) Release due to Step potential
(iii) Release induced by Cyclic Voltammetry

22. Release pattern of para- toluene- sulfonic acid through
Polyaniline (PANI) salt membrane in single compartment:

23. RESULT:
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
0.00
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.10
Concentration(M)
Time(secs)
Source(V) Time(sec)
-0.25 4500
In this case the concentration vs. time shows almost a linear profile
which signifies the zero order release characteristics. The average
release rate estimated for PANI is 0.3μmole/s

24. Case Study I: Stability analysis of PANI –PTSA (OCP run)
• Open Circuit Potential: for 28hrs
• Deposition: 30 mg PANI salt +50 ml NN,DMF +300 mg pTSA 30
volts & 0.09 amps for 2 hrs.
• Feed side: 0.1(M) PTSA solution.
• Permeate side: Water.
• Release due to Diffusion

26. Details of experimentation for PTSA-PANI:
Membrane
i) PANI (salt) (30 mg) +NN-DMF(50 ml)
sonicated for 2hr.
ii) P-TSA as dopant (300 mg) 
sonicated for 30 mins.
Electro Deposition 
Potential (V) = 30V
Duration=2hr
Current Variation =0.08A
Drug Delivery Cell data
Duration of experiment= 150min
Open Circuit Potential: (for 600sec)
Feed side: 0.1(M) P-TSA solution.
Permeate side: Distilled Water.
Details of experimentation for SSA-PANI:
Membrane
i) PANI (salt) (80 mg) +NN-DMF(50 ml)
sonicated for 2hr.
(ii)SSA as dopant (300 mg) 
sonicated for 30 mins.
Electro Deposition 
Potential (V) = 30V
Duration=2hr
Current Variation =0.08A
Drug Delivery Cell data
Duration of experiment= 150min
Open Circuit Potential: (for 600sec)
Feed side: 0.1(M) SSA solution.
Permeate side: Distilled Water.

27. Results of Step
Voltammetry

28. Release characteristics of PTSA through PANI-salt
membrane using Cyclic Voltammetry
Run OCP
(Volt)
Conc. Of
Feed(M)
Scan
Rate(Volt/Sec)
Flux(mol/sec m2) Leakage(mol)
4 -0.027 0.05 0.0001 1.099E-4 2.088E-5
1 -0.242 0.05 0.004 2.93E-5 5.814E-6
2 -0.330 0.05 0.005 2.589E-4 6.6E-6
3 -0.283 0.1 0.005 2.102E-4 3.034E-6
5 -0.294 0.15 0.005 1.132E-4 4.34E-6

30. EFFECT ON FLUX AT DIFFERENT SCAN RATE
Scan Rate (0.0002v/s ) Scan Rate (0.002v/s) Scan Rate (0.004v/s )
Voltage
(v)
Flux
(mol/sec m2)
Voltage
(v)
Flux
(mol/sec m2)
Voltage
(v)
Flux
(mol/sec m2)
0
0.4
0.8
0.4
0
0
9.372E-5
3.8808E-4
0
0.176
0.434
0.8
0.61
0.4
0.23
0
0
2.7732E-3
2.465E-3
0
2.598E-5
1.996E-3
1.160E-3
0
0
0.553
0.393
0.153
0
1.75E-03
6.02E-05
6.63E-03

32. Effect of Process Parameters on
Molecular Release: An Exhaustive Search
Fig depicts the two bottlenecks identified using the model: leak during the forward
cycle and retention at the end of the reverse cycle for varying voltage scan rate. Before
elaborating the results of the exploration of the dynamics of ‘controlled molecular
release system’, let us first define the base cases (good and bad) of molecular release.

33.  Similar experiments are now conducted by using SSA
doped PANI, and the bright side in such experiments
is that the PANI-SSA is experimentally synthesized.
 The Synthesized PANI-SSA serves as a potentially
better source of such experimentation.
 It will be not long before a miniaturized version of the
experimental setup becomes scientifically viable.

34.  I would like to convey my gratitude to the
Department Of Biotechnology (DBT-INDIA) for
financially assisting the work.
 My regards for Prof. Kajari Kargupta and Dr.
Saptarshi Majumdar for their valuable and expert
guidance, keen interest, fruitful suggestions and
unwavering encouragement during the entire
period of project work.
 Finally I would like to specially thank Mr. Ajay
Prodhan, the lab assistant without whom the work
would never have been completed.

35.  Morphological Studies (TEM) show a connected nano -particle like structure of the
polymer membrane(<50 nm)
 Prediction of release pattern
 A protocol for different time scan and different release pattern is obtained for different
experimentation
Drawbacks :
 Mechanical leakage : Teflon – metal joints : modifications of design
 Membrane stability crucially depends on the parameters of electro-
deposition : leakage in membrane
 Oxidation of the membrane due to exposure with the environment