title: Fabrication of a magnetic helical mesostructured silica rod.
abstract: We report a one-step synthesis of magnetic helical mesostructured silica (MHMS) by self-assembly of an achiral surfactant, magnetic nanocrystals with stearic acid ligands and silicate. This core-shell structured material consists of an Fe(3)O(4) superparamagnetic nanocrystal core and a highly ordered periodic helical mesoporous silica shell. We propose that the formation of the helical structure is induced by the interaction between the surfactant and dissociated stearic acid ligands. The MHMS obtained possesses superparamagnetism, uniform mesostructure, narrow pore size distribution, high surface area, and large pore volume. Furthermore, the drug release process is demonstrated using aspirin as a drug model and MHMS as a drug carrier in a sodium phosphate buffer solution.
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Dongying 257061, People's Republic of China. ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials, School of Engineering and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shi Zhang
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Zifeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Gao Qing Max
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Lu