LAUSR

Hybrid aerogels of chitosan (CS), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and graphene oxide (GO) are successfully prepared by using calcium ion (Ca2+) as the crosslinker. The resultant hybrid aerogels, CS/CMC/Ca2+/GO, are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Due to the pH sensitivity of CS and CMC, pH-controlled drug delivery with CS/CMC/Ca2+/GO as the carrier is investigated using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), an effective chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of cancers, as the model drug. Finally, Higuchi model and Korsmeyer-Peppas model are used to study the release kinetics, and it reveals that the release of 5-FU from the hybrid aerogels is controlled by Fickian diffusion. Collectively, the findings demonstrate the CS/CMC/Ca2+/GO would be a potential material for the construction of pH-controlled drug delivery platform.