A mesoporous organosilica nano-bowl with high DNA loading capacity - a potential gene delivery carrier

Mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles with a novel bowl-like morphology were synthesized. These nano-bowls possess uniform particle sizes around 180 nm and open cavities around 140 nm, which lead to higher loading capability for plasmid DNA than traditional silica-based nanoparticles. In vitro DNA transfection using these nano-bowls is demonstrated.