Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles with Tunable Structures for Controlled Drug Delivery

A size-controllable and facile synthetic strategy has been developed to fabricate a series of hollow mesoporous silica nanopartides-(HMSNs) with tunable hollow cores or shell thicknesses by employing gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as dual templates. Various sizes of Au NPs and different amounts of tetraethyl orthosiliicate contributed to structure-tailored -mesoporous silica-coated Au NPs. After calcination; CTAB molecules were completely removed and Au NPs could still support the silica shell due to the high melting point. HMS-Ns were ultimately- obtained by etching Au NPs. Applications of HMSNs as nanocarriers for delivering drugs were investigated. Significantly it was flexible and convenient to control drugloading/releasing behaVior of HMSNs just by tuning the hollow cores or shell thicknesses. Intracellular experiments have proven, that HMSNs are-suitable for delivering-drugs. We anticipate that this study could provide an important avenue for the-synthesis of HMSNs and further Contribtite to advancing practical applications of HMSNs in drug delivery systems.