Offset C60 fullerene encapsulated inside Goldberg type i fullerenes

Abstract

The use of nanotechnology in pharmaceutical is an important topic in order to transport drugs to the targeted cells. However, there are a few studies for the mechanics of encapsulated tiny drug molecules into a nano-size capsule. In this paper, we determine the encapsulation of an assumed spherical drug molecule inside a spherical capsule using mathematical model, where both molecules are assumed to be carbon fullerenes with different sizes. Moreover, Lennard-Jones potential function together with the continuous approximation is employed to determine the energy of the system which gives rise to the equilibrium position of the drug molecule in the capsule. Further, an analytical solution is obtained as a function of the molecule radii. This research might be considered as a first step to investigate the encapsulation of drug molecule in a nanocapsule for the medical research.