Facile large-scale synthesis of mesoporous silica nanoparticles at room temperature in a monophasic system with fine size control

• Published in: Microporous and mesoporous materials 2019-11, Vol.288, p.109595, Article 109595
• Main Authors: Kim, Chansong, Yoon, Seokyoung, Lee, Jung Heon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Continuous-injection-based monophasic liquid (CIMPL) process; Large-scale synthesis; Mesoporous silica nanoparticle; Nanoscale tunability; Stöber method
• ISSN: 1387-1811; 1873-3093
• DOI: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2019.109595

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are generally synthesized using a biphasic system at high temperature. However, this method requires a time-consuming washing process and hinders large-scale synthesis because of difficulty in controlling the thermal homogeneity. We demonstrate a strategy to synthesize MSNs in a facile manner through a continuous-injection-based monophasic liquid process, modified from the Stöber method, by using a constant silica source injection system in a monophasic environment without heating. We could not only increase the amount of synthesized particles up to gram-scale by simply increasing the volume of the reaction but also obtain MSNs that had intact spherical structures, were controllable in size, and were well dispersed in an aqueous solution with a narrow size distribution. Using this synthesis method, we also prove the influence of various factors affecting the size, structure, and discreteness of the MSNs. As our study presents a straightforward and highly reproducible method for large-scale synthesis of MSNs and, more importantly, demonstrates its detailed mechanism, we expect that this work will provide guidance for highly efficient large-scale synthesis of various porous nanomaterials with high monodispersity, which is critical for the practical use of nanomaterials in diverse areas. [Display omitted] •Monodisperse and discrete MSNs were successfully synthesized in a monophasic system without any heating process.•The diameter of MSNs was controlled in various sizes ranging from 15 to 56 nm through controlling the reaction environments.•The influence of each factor affecting on the MSNs formation was demonstrated through a systematical synthesis.•A large quantity of MSNs was synthesized with the same synthetic yield by simply increasing the reaction volume.