title: Mesostructured Silica for Optical Functionality, Nanomachines, and Drug Delivery.
abstract: Silica thin films and nanoparticles prepared using sol-gel chemistry are derivatized with active molecules to generate new functional materials. The mild conditions associated with sol-gel processing allow for the incorporation of a range of dopants including organic or inorganic dyes, biomolecules, surfactants, and molecular machines. Silica nanoparticles embedded with inorganic nanocrystals, and films containing living cells have also been synthesized. Silica templated with surfactants to create mesostructure contains physically and chemically different regions that can be selectively derivatized using defined techniques to create dynamic materials. Using two different techniques, donor-acceptor pairs can be doped into separated regions simultaneously and photo-induced electron transfer between the molecules can be measured. Mesoporous silica materials are also useful supports for molecular machines. Machines including snap-tops and nanoimpellers that are designed to control the release of guest molecules trapped within the pores are described. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are promising materials for drug delivery and other biomedical applications because they are nontoxic and can be taken up by living cells. Through appropriate design and synthesis, multifunctional mesoporous silica nanoparticles for sophisticated bio-applications are created.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095.
authors.forename: Yaroslav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Klichko
authors.forename: Monty
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liong
authors.forename: Eunshil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Angelos
authors.forename: Andre E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Nel
authors.forename: J Fraser
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Stoddart
authors.forename: Fuyuhiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tamanoi
authors.forename: Jeffrey I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Zink