Open AccessControllable synthesis of SiO 2 nanoparticles: effects of ammonia and tetraethyl orthosilicate concentration
Author(s) -
Yan Yue,
Fu Jie,
Xu Ling,
Wang Tianfu,
Lu Xiuyang
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
micro and nano letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.25
H-Index - 31
ISSN - 1750-0443
DOI - 10.1049/mnl.2016.0434
Subject(s) - tetraethyl orthosilicate , particle size , nanoparticle , dynamic light scattering , materials science , ammonia , chemical engineering , dispersion (optics) , particle size distribution , orthosilicate , inorganic chemistry , nuclear chemistry , nanotechnology , chemistry , organic chemistry , optics , engineering , physics
SiO 2 nanoparticles can be used as drug carriers in drug delivery systems, wherein the size of the nanoparticles plays a vital role in their distribution in vivo . SiO 2 nanoparticles were synthesised using the Stöber method and characterised by dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy. The effects of the ammonia concentration, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) concentration, water loading and alcohol type on the size and dispersion of the SiO 2 nanoparticles were investigated. The results showed that the concentration of ammonia was the most important factor in dictating the size of the SiO 2 nanoparticles. The size of the particles increased with increasing ammonia and TEOS concentrations. Increasing the water loading caused a reduction in the particle size but an increase in the dispersion. Both the particle size and dispersion increased with increasing alcohol carbon number. Linear relationships were observed between the SiO 2 particle size and the concentrations of ammonia and TEOS, which could be used to control the size of SiO 2 nanoparticles during synthesis.