Luminescent hollow CaWO4 microspheres: template-free synthesis, characterization and application in drug deliveryElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5ra20633b

• Main Authors: Tian, Boshi, Wang, Mengnan, Liu, Chunxia, Liu, Shaohua, Jin, Lin, Yan, Xiqing, Li, Chunyang, Wang, Zhenling
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/c5ra20633b

Luminescent porous micro/nano-structures have gained much attention in recent years due to their potential applications in biomedical fields. Herein, we report the well-dispersed luminescent hollow structural CaWO 4 microspheres prepared by a facile hydrothermal method without addition of any templates and additives. The phase, morphology and pore structures of hollow CaWO 4 microspheres were well characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N 2 adsorption/desorption. It is observed that the resultant CaWO 4 microspheres possess a hollow structure with mesoporous shell and have good biocompatibility, making them suitable to be used as drug carriers. Subsequently, ibuprofen (IBU), a typical anti-inflammatory drug, was successfully loaded into the CaWO 4 microspheres and the drug release behavior was investigated. It is found that IBU molecules were successfully introduced into the inner space and mesopores of CaWO 4 microspheres and there exist strong interaction between IBU molecules and CaWO 4 microspheres. The IBU release from CaWO 4 microspheres exhibit a sustained-release property and two-step release mechanism. In addition, the hollow structural CaWO 4 microspheres also exhibit bright blue emission after loading of IBU. These results indicate that the luminescent hollow CaWO 4 microspheres have promising prospect in the sustained drug release systems and tracking drug release process. Luminescent hollow structural CaWO 4 microspheres prepared by a template-free method show a sustained-release property for IBU.