MATRIX MATERIALS HAVING MECHANICALLY-SHAPED SPONGE ARCHITECTURE AND METHODS OF PREPARING THEREOF
Methods of preparing and using compositions and devices comprising compressible absorbent matrix material having mechanically-shaped sponge architecture are disclosed.
1 . A method of preparing an absorbent matrix material having a mechanically-shaped sponge architecture, wherein the method comprises:
a. providing a substrate and forming the sponge architecture in the substrate;
b. forming a substrate around a removable porogenic mold substantially having the shape of the sponge architecture and removing the porogenic mold; or
c. combinations thereof.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the absorbent matrix material is compressible.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a naturally occurring material or an artificially prepared material.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a solid material, a hydrogel, or a sponge material.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises forming the sponge architecture in a substrate.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein forming the sponge architecture is selected from the group consisting of drilling the substrate, puncturing the substrate, and combinations thereof.
7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the substrate is selected from a hydrated substrate, a dry substrate, a partially hydrated substrate, or a combination thereof.
8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the substrate is a dry hydratable carbohydrate.
9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the substrate is a dry hydratable substrate and a dry absorbent matrix material is formed in the dry hydratable substrate.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises hydrating the dry absorbent matrix material to generate a hydrated absorbent matrix material.
11 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the substrate is a dry hydratable substrate and the method further comprises hydrating the substrate to generate a hydrated substrate, and forming the sponge architecture in the hydrated substrate.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises forming a substrate around a removable porogenic mold substantially having the shape of the sponge architecture and removing the porogenic mold.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the substrate is formed around the porogenic mold by growing, building, depositing, or developing the substrate around the porogenic mold.
14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the substrate is selected from a hydrated substrate, a dry substrate, a partially hydrated substrate, or a combination thereof.
15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the substrate is a dry hydratable carbohydrate.
16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the substrate is a dry hydratable substrate, and the method further comprises depositing the dry hydratable substrate in the removable mold and hydrating the hydratable substrate to expand and form a hydrated substrate in the mold.
17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the porogenic mold is removed by detaching the mold from the formed substrate.
18 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the porogenic mold is removed by shape modifying the mold to allow detaching from the formed substrate.
19 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the porogenic mold is removed by eliminating the mold from the formed substrate.
20 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the porogenic mold is removed by chemically modifying the porogenic mold to eliminate the mold.
21 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the matrix material has a defined size, and the method further comprises compressing the absorbent matrix material to reduce the size of the matrix material.
22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the size of the matrix material is reduced to a size that is less than 50% of an expanded size of the matrix material.
23 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the absorbent matrix material is a hydrated absorbent matrix material, and the method further comprises drying the matrix material to form a dried absorbent matrix material.
24 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the absorbent matrix material is a hydrated absorbent matrix material having a defined size, and the method further comprises drying the matrix material to form a dried absorbent matrix material and compressing the dried matrix material to reduce the size of the dried matrix material.
25 . A compressible absorbent matrix material having mechanically-shaped sponge architecture prepared using a method of claim 1 .
26 . The matrix material of claim 25 , wherein the matrix material is reduced in size and/or volume to a size and/or volume that is less than 50% of an expanded size of the matrix material.
27 . The matrix material of claim 25 , wherein one or more member of the compressible absorbent matrix material is packed into a delivery device.
28 . A delivery device comprising one or more members of a compressible absorbent matrix material, the matrix material having a mechanically-shaped sponge architecture prepared using a method of claim 1 .