Microscopy of Nanomaterial for Drug Delivery

Nanomaterials used for drug delivery purposes are characterized microscopically to elucidate their optical properties, which include size, shape, and surface morphologies. Nanoparticles are currently being explored for various drug delivery applications, disease diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics. The nanonization confers some unique characteristics to the drug, which include improved drug targeting, prolonged circulation, and enhanced drug efficacy. Visualizing the surface morphology of the nanomaterials provides a better understanding of the unique properties they exhibit, which has contributed to the progress made in this field. However, nano-sized materials cannot be observed with the human eye or optical microscopes. Therefore, the following advanced characterization techniques most commonly used in the microscopic evaluation of nanomaterials include atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and scanning tunneling microscopy. This chapter discusses the principles and application of microscopy characterization techniques of nanomaterials used in drug delivery.