title: Gas-phase self-assembly of uniform silica nanostructures decorated and doped with silver nanoparticles.
abstract: We report a systematic study of the controlled gas-phase synthesis of silver-silica hybrid nanostructures (Ag-SiO2NP) using the concept of evaporation-induced self-assembly. The approach includes the use of a direct gas-phase electrophoresis for size classification and in situ characterization of mobility size. Transmission electron microscopy and ultraviolet-visible light spectroscopy were employed complementarily to determine the morphology and surface plasmon resonance of Ag-SiO2NP. Results show that two types of Ag-SiO2NPs were successfully synthesized: (1) AgNPs decorated on a SiO2-NP (Ag-T-SiO2NP), and (2) AgNPs doped in a cluster of SiO2-NPs (Ag-C-SiO2NP). The physical size, morphology, and compositions of Ag-SiO2NPs were tunable through the adjustments of precursor concentrations and the selected mobility sizes. The results also show that SPR performance, colloidal stability, and dispersibility of AgNPs enhanced significantly in an aqueous environment after the hybridization with SiO2-NP (especially for Ag-C-SiO2NP). The results and corresponding methodology summarized here provide the proof of concept to fabricate high-purity AgNP-based hybrid nanostructures through gas-phase evaporation-induced self-assembly for future biomedical applications (e.g., hyperthermal therapy, targeted drug delivery, and antibacterial applications).
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chao-Shun
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Yi-Chen
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hsiao-Fang
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hsin-Chia
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Rong-Ming
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: De-Hao
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Tsai