Dispersed Uniform Nanoparticles from a Macroscopic Organosilica Powder

Langmuir. 2018 Feb 13;34(6):2274-2281. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b03705. Epub 2018 Feb 5.

Abstract

A colloidal dispersion of uniform organosilica nanoparticles could be produced via the disassembly of the non-surfactant-templated organosilica powder nanostructured folate material (NFM-1). This unusual reaction pathway was available because the folate and silica-containing moieties in NFM-1 are held together by noncovalent interactions. No precipitation was observed from the colloidal dispersion after a week, though particle growth occurred at a solvent-dependent rate that could be described by the Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner equation. An organosilica film that was prepared from the colloidal dispersion adsorbed folate-binding protein from solution but adsorbed ions from a phosphate-buffered saline solution to a larger degree. To our knowledge, this is the first instance of a colloidal dispersion of organosilica nanoparticles being derived from a macroscopic material rather than from molecular precursors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't