Figure A19.

Thermogravimetric analysis of the unloaded AMS-6 nanoparticles sample. The thick blue line corresponds to the weight loss versus the temperature, and the dashed red line represents the first derivative from the thermogravimetric analysis (DTG) curve. The latter shows characteristic decomposition peaks, e.g., at 380 °C. The measurement was performed on the pure AMS-6 to confirm the absence of any organic compounds that could block the pores, which were supposed to contain the loaded drug later. The peak of DTG at approximately 310 °C corresponds to the loss (decomposition) of propyl amine functionalized groups. The analysis also revealed the incorporation of approximately 11.69 wt% of covalently bound propyl amine groups in the pores of the NPs. However, with 11.69 wt%, the presence of amine groups was slightly elevated. A higher value would indicate a high amount of remaining amino groups, which would mean a blockage of the NPs pores. The remaining weight loss above 400 °C was due to evaporating water (also known as extra framework water) caused by condensation of silanol groups.