Stabilization of dopamine in nanosilica sol–gel matrix to be used as a controlled drug delivery system

Sol–gel silica reservoirs were synthesized using tetraethoxysilane and functionalized with OH groups to stabilize dopamine into a ceramic matrix. The synthesis was made in air and N2 atmosphere. The dopamine–silica reservoirs were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy, DTA–TGA and BET techniques. Nanostructured materials with a high specific surface area (500 m2/g) and a mean pore size between 40 and 152 Å were obtained. It was found that dopamine is entrapped and stabilized into the SiO2–OH matrix when the reservoirs are synthesized in N2 atmosphere.