Electrically controlled nicotine delivery through Carbon nanotube membranes via electrochemical oxidation and nanofluidically enhanced electroosmotic flow

A promising tool for nicotine addiction treatment is a programmable nicotine delivery device coupled to smart phone-assisted behavioral therapies. Key metrics for such a device are delivery of adjustable nicotine doses tailored to individual needs, compact size and power efficiency. Reported here is a detailed optimization of carbon nanotube (CNT) membrane fabrication based on electrochemical oxidation, to improve its electrically driven performance for nicotine fluxes and switching ON (-1.5 V)-OFF (0 V) flux ratio. ON- state nicotine flux of ~ 6 µmoles/cm 2 /h at -1.5 V applied bias was achieved allowing ~ 6-folds decrease in the size of device (4 cm 2 ) to attain flux equivalent to high dose nicotine gum (1.1 µmoles/cm 2 /h). Application of + 1.5 V bias in OFF state reduced diffusional background flux, giving an ON (-1.5 V)/OFF (+ 1.5 V) flux ratio of 68 that enabled device to deliver between the highest nicotine gum (1.1 µmoles/cm 2 /h) and lowest nicotine patch (0.08 µmoles/cm 2 /h) doses, as well as taper off nicotine doses for long term addiction treatment. The nicotine transport mechanism was studied as a function of pH and applied bias, using neutral tracer molecule, showing a mechanism of both electroosmosis and electrophoresis in the atomically smooth nanofluidic pores of CNTs. Optimal power consumption/flux efficiency of 111(µW/cm 2 )/µmoles/cm 2 /h was achieved allowing watch-battery lifetimes of 7–62 days for conventional treatment dosing regimens. Bluetooth-enabled, remotely controlled CNT membrane system has potential for treatments of nicotine, opioid and alcohol addictions that needs dose adjustment with precise temporal control.