Mechanochemically synthesized poly( o -toluidine)-intercalated montmorillonite nanocomposites as antituberculosis drug carriers.

The present preliminary study reports the synthesis of montmorillonite (MMT)/poly(o-toluidine) (PoTD) nanocomposites prepared by confining PoTD in the galleries of MMT. X-ray diffraction confirmed the intercalation of PoTD at 25°C, while exfoliation was observed at higher loading. UV–visible spectroscopy showed the variation of polaronic transitions in the polymer. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the formation of a coarse granular structure. Rifampicin was chosen as a model drug to study thein vitrodrug release characteristics of these nanocomposites. The nanocomposites revealed a sustained release behavior which could be utilized to design controlled release of antituberculosis drug carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]