INCORPORATION OF SPIN-LABELED ORGANIC MOLECULES INTO CARBON NANOTUBES

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中的一个 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是 研究中心，而研究中心不一定是研究者所在的机构。 碳纳米管（CNT）是碳的同素异形体。它们是由碳原子组成的极薄的空心圆柱体。碳纳米管独特的机械和电学性能使其在纳米技术、电子学、光学和其他材料科学领域的许多应用中具有潜在的用途。近年来，它们作为有前景的药物递送剂，特别是在癌症治疗中，引起了人们的关注。肿瘤中的血管渗漏导致引入到癌组织中的血流中的纳米颗粒的积累。了解有机分子在碳纳米管中的结合和前者的递送可以帮助设计新的药物和治疗技术。ACERT发表了一项成功的研究，控制药物释放的微尺度生物降解微球。研究纳米材料的药物释放将进一步实现ESR光谱学提供的独特机会，以及ACERT正在开发的新技术，如高分辨率ESR显微镜。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are allotropes of carbon. They are extremely thin hollow cylinders made of carbon atoms. Unique mechanical and electrical properties of CNT make them potentially useful in many applications in nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields of material science. Recently, they have attracted attention as prospective drug delivery agents, especially in cancer treatment. Leaky blood vessels in tumors cause accumulation of nanoparticles introduced into the bloodstream in the cancerous tissue. Understanding incorporation of organic molecules in carbon nanotubes and delivery of the former can help in designing new drugs and treatment techniques. ACERT published a successful study on control drug release from micro-scale biodegradable microspheres. Studying drug release from nano-materials will be a further implementation of unique opportunities provided by ESR spectroscopy in general and novel technologies being developed in ACERT, such as high resolution ESR microscopy.