Free‐standing tin phosphide/phosphate carbon composite nanofiber mats of unique nanostructure have been successfully synthesized by electrospinning and partially reducing the phosphate‐containing precursors. An unusual effect of the Sn:P molar ratio in the precursor solution on the structure and physical‐electrochemical properties of the material is observed. Physical characterizations, including X‐Ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X‐Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confirm the formation of tin phosphide/phosphate nanoparticles of P‐rich inner Sn_xP layer and Sn‐rich outer layer uniformly distributed within carbon nanofiber matrix when the Sn:P=1:1. The prepared material is tested as an anode material for lithium‐ion batteries and it retains 1141 mAh g⁻¹ charge capacity after 300 cycles at a current density of 250 mA g⁻¹ with almost 100% Coulombic efficiency at room temperature. Furthermore, it demonstrates six times higher capacity (846 mAh g⁻¹) at 0 °C compared to a commercial graphite anode and stable cyclability at −20 °C and 50 mA g⁻¹. Post‐mortem ex situ XRD and SEM analyses confirm the structural stability of the designed material and the formation of a uniform stable solid electrolyte interphase layer even after 100 cycles at 50 mA g⁻¹.

Soft contact lenses are increasingly being explored as a vehicle for controlled delivery of ophthalmic drugs. However, traditional methods of drug-loading by soaking have limitations such as burst delivery and the release of drugs at the front side of the lens, leading to poor drug efficacy and systemic side effects. This study introduces a new methodology, termed asymmetric drug loading, whereby the ophthalmic drug ‘Rebamipide’ is attached to and released from the post-lens (=cornea-contacting) surface exclusively. The methodology involves using polymeric microparticles that carry a lipophilic crystalline ophthalmic drug at their surface. These drug-loaded microparticles first transfer the drug to the concave surface of the contact lens, and when worn, the drug is transferred again, now from the lens to the cornea. This is achieved through the diffusion of the drug from one hydrophobic microenvironment (the silicone moieties of the contact lens polymer network) to another hydrophobic microenvironment (the corneal epithelium) over a short pathway. The second drug transfer was observed and studied in experiments using an ex vivo porcine eye model. The results show that the drug amount that was absorbed by the cornea after applying the rebamipide-loaded contact lenses is approximately 3× (10.7 ± 3.1 μg) as much as the amount of rebamipide that gets transferred after the instillation of one eye drop (1% solution (p < 0.001). The new drug-loading method offers a practical and reproducible means of delivering ophthalmic drugs to the cornea through soft contact lenses. The drug payloads achieved are comparable to dosages used during eye drop therapy.

Corneal disorders and diseases are prevalent in the field of clinical ophthalmology. Fungal keratitis, one of the major factors leading to visual impairment and blindness worldwide, presents significant challenges for traditional topical eye drop treatments. The objective of this study was to create biocompatible 3D-crosslinked hydrogels for drug delivery to the cornea, intending to enhance the bioavailability of ophthalmic drugs. Firstly, a series of flexible and porous hydrogels were synthesized (free-radical polymerization), characterized, and evaluated. The materials were prepared by the free-radical polymerization reaction of 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone (also known as N-vinylpyrrolidone or NVP) and 1,6-hexanediol dimethacrylate (crosslinker) in the presence of polyethylene glycol 1000 (PEG-1000) as the porogen. After the physicochemical characterization of these materials, the chosen hydrogel demonstrated outstanding cytocompatibility in vitro. Subsequently, the selected porous hydrogels could be loaded with voriconazole, an antifungal medication. The procedure was adapted to realize a loading of 175 mg voriconazole per ring, which slightly exceeds the amount of voriconazole that is instilled into the eye via drop therapy (a single eye drop corresponds with approximately 100 mg voriconazole). The voriconazole-loaded rings exhibited a stable zero-order release pattern over the first two hours, which points to a significantly improved bioavailability of the drug. Ex vivo experiments using the established porcine eye model provided confirmation of a 10-fold increase in drug penetration into the cornea (after 2 h of application of the hydrogel ring, 35.8 ± 3.2% of the original dose is retrieved from the cornea, which compares with 3.9 ± 1% of the original dose in the case of eye drop therapy). These innovative hydrogel rods and rings show great potential for improving the bioavailability of ophthalmic drugs, which could potentially lead to reduced hospitalization durations and treatment expenses.