Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanospheres Synthesized by a Novel Dual-Templating Micelle System for the Preparation of Functional Nanomaterials

Langmuir. 2017 Jan 17;33(2):519-526. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b03282. Epub 2017 Jan 4.

Abstract

Highly monodisperse, dendritic, and functionalized mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs) with sub-200 nm size were synthesized in a one-pot sol-gel reaction, by a dual-templating micelle system consisting of a partially fluorinated short-chain anionic fluorocarbon surfactant and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. This kind of anionic fluorocarbon surfactant works simultaneously as a swelling agent to enlarge the pore of the MSNs, an ion-pair agent to the structure-directing silane in the preparation of amine-functionalized MSNs, and a surface tension reducing agent to make the system thermodynamically more stable for producing more uniform MSNs. The particle size and the morphology of the resultant MSNs can be fine-tuned by changing the amount of the fluorocarbon surfactant added and the ratio of the functional group containing organosilane to tetraethoxysilane. Subsequently, the as-prepared MSNs were used as base materials for the preparation of drug delivery nanomaterials through the surface grafting of a pH-sensitive drug-conjugated polymer and fluorescent nanomaterials through the embedding of europium(III) complex or the immobilization of large molecule fluorescein isothiocyanate-bovine serum albumin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods
  • Micelles
  • Nanospheres / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Particle Size
  • Silanes / chemistry
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemistry*

Substances

  • Micelles
  • Silanes
  • tetraethoxysilane
  • Silicon Dioxide