Abstract

The adsorption of the anticoagulant warfarin onto unmodified (UMS) and modified (phenyl (PhMS), methyl (MMS), mercaptopropyl (MPMS)) mesoporous silica materials was studied at pH 1.6 and 7.4 and in the temperature range of 293–325 K. The silica materials were prepared by sol-gel method for further characterization by FTIR spectroscopy, N₂ adsorption/desorption method, transmission electron microscopy and zeta potential measurements. The effects of medium pH, temperature and surface modification of mesoporous silica material on their adsorption characteristics (adsorption capacity, thermodynamic parameters of adsorption) relative to anticoagulant warfarin were investigated. It was found that medium acid–base properties strongly affect the adsorption of warfarin due to the pH-dependent structural diversity of the drug and ionization state of the silica surfaces. The adsorption capacity of the silica materials at pH 1.6 decreases in the order: MMS > MPMS > UMS > PhMS. The influence of various non-covalent interactions on the adsorption capacity of the silica materials and energy of the drug-silica interactions is discussed. These results may be useful for the development of a novel delivery system of warfarin.