(78d) Duda-Vrentas Theory: From Phase Inversion To Drug Delivery

This presentation will be a somewhat personalized review of our studies of the phenomenon of phase inversion in polymer solutions in which Duda-Vrentas (DV) diffusion theory has played a seminal role. DV theory provides an ideal, rigorous platform for quantifying the diffusive mass transfer processes that occur during the initial quench period of phase inversion, and from this, a rationale for predicting the classes of asymmetric membrane structure that result in the solidified films. In combination with spinodal decomposition theory, DV theory has also provided a basis for quantifying the phase separation kinetics that agrees remarkably well with experiment. Finally, in our more recent work, we have been applying DV theory in studies of controlled release drug delivery from polymer membrane-based systems in which our goal is to quantify the relationships between phase inversion, structure formation, and the resultant controlled release of embedded drugs.