title: Fluorescent organosilica micro- and nanoparticles with controllable size.
abstract: This paper reports on the synthesis of uniformly dye-doped organosilica particles with narrow size distribution. The particle size can be controlled from tenths of nanometers up to several micrometers, whilst still maintaining monodispersity. Microparticles were observed to swell in various solvents up to approximately 2.5 times their original volume, suggesting the presence of a gel-like internal structure. As shown by confocal microscopy, this morphological control of particle swelling has important implications for the encoding of the nano/micro particles with organic dyes, such as rhodamine B isothiocyanate. Swelling allows the dye to penetrate the organosilica matrix and produce uniformly dye-doped nano- and microparticles. Finally, we suggest a coagulation model for the particle formation which significantly differs from conventional Stöber synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Nanotechnology and Biomaterials Centre, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. r.vogel1@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.forename: Peter P T
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Surawski
authors.forename: Bradley N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Littleton
authors.forename: Chris R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Gwendolyn A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Lawrie
authors.forename: Bronwyn J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Battersby
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trau
mesh_terms: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008863:Microspheres; D053758:Nanoparticles; D017646:Organosilicon Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D017646:Organosilicon Compounds; D012235:Rhodamines; C027755:rhodamine isothiocyanate