NMR studies of sorption and adsorption phenomena in colloidal systems

• Specific NMR methods for studies of adsorption and sorption are reviewed.
• High resolution spectra as well as molecular dynamics characterize local binding.
• Innovative colloidal carrier structures were developed and studied by NMR methods.
• Diffusion effectively monitors localization and transport in complex colloids.

NMR methods provide chemically selective tools, particularly suitable to detect the molecular environment of molecular species in micro-heterogeneous materials. They are consequently applied to solve many questions in colloid science. The present review covers NMR studies of molecular adsorption onto particle surfaces as well as sorption into colloidal particles. Various methods ranging from liquid or solid state spectral analysis over spin relaxation to pulsed field gradient diffusion NMR have been employed in this field, monitoring either the chemical environment or the restricted dynamics of adsorbed or encapsulated guest molecules. Adsorption systems include surfactant layers, stabilizing ligands, small molecules, polymer layers or polyelectrolyte multilayers at the surface of various types of particles. Sorption into colloidal particles and detection of their position in specific compartments of the colloid are particularly relevant in systems employed as colloidal carriers, such as micelles, vesicles, or hollow polymeric capsules. With guest molecules considered as model compounds for drugs these studies have large relevance for the development of nanoparticle drug delivery systems.

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