title: Mesoporous silica nanoparticles with controllable morphology prepared from oil-in-water emulsions.
abstract: Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are an important class of materials with a wide range of applications. This paper presents a simple protocol for synthesis of particles as small as 40nm and with a pore size that can be as large as 9nm. Reaction conditions including type of surfactant, type of catalyst and presence of organic polymer were investigated in order to optimize the synthesis. An important aim of the work was to understand the mechanism behind the formation of these unusual structures and an explanation based on silica condensation in the small aqueous microemulsion droplets that are present inside the drops of an oil-in-water emulsion is put forward.
authors.affiliation: Applied Surface Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg SE-412 96, Sweden; Biological Physics, Dept. of Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg SE-412 96, Sweden.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
authors.affiliation: Applied Surface Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg SE-412 96, Sweden.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Isaksson
authors.affiliation: Structure and Material Design, SP - Food and Bioscience, Box 5401, Gothenburg SE-402 29, Sweden.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Altskär
authors.affiliation: Applied Surface Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg SE-412 96, Sweden. Electronic address: krister.holmberg@chalmers.se.
authors.forename: Krister
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Holmberg
keywords: Emulsion; Mesoporous silica; Microemulsion; Nanoparticle; Surfactant