Meglumine-assisted electrophoretic deposition and fabrication of Carboxymethyl cellulose composite gels and films

A conceptually new approach was used for the fabrication of composite carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC H) gels and films, containing mefenamic acid (MEF-H) as a model drug, hydroxyapatite (HA) and titania. Meglumine (MEG) was used as dual action agent that acts as an alkalizer and solubilizer for CMC-H and MEF-H, while promoting gelation through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. For the first time it was demonstrated that CMC-H and CMC-H-MEF-H composite films can be prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) from CMC-H and MEF-H solutions. The deposition yield was analyzed. Investigations revealed the difference in the structure, morphology, phase content and composition of bulk gels and films prepared by dip coating and EPD, which contained MEF-H or bioceramics. The findings of this investigation establish effective strategies for the fabrication of next-generation gels and films.