Improving pore exposure in mesoporous silica films for mechanized control of the pores

Trapping and release of cargo molecules from a micro-stamped mesoporous thin film controlled by poly(NIPAAm-co-AAm)

“…Attempts were made to etch a pattern into films by having them come into a contact with a micro-patterned hydrogel stamp. The stamp was soaked in a buffered hydrofluoric acid (BHF) solution, as described by Klichko et al[33] Although this method was successful for CTAB-templated films (pore size 2.5 nm), it systematically failed for F127-templated films (pore size 5.5 nm) as BHF drastically infiltrates the porosity and quickly diffuses into the silica framework to destroy the film.…”

“…[55, 56] This effect accounts for the shift from 568 nm for surface polymers to 492 nm for the aligned polymers in pores, and has been observed by Klichko and coworkers for mesoporous CTAB-templated silica films infiltrated by MEH-PPV. [33] Finally, when the sample is extensively washed only the peak at 492 nm remains (Figure 2a). That is additional evidence that the peak at 492 nm corresponds to polymers that infiltrated the nanopores.…”

“…An example of such a film, with a thickness of ~ 300 nm and a pore diameter of 2.5 nm, has been reported. [33] Based on these patterned films, a molecular storage and on-demand release system was realized. In this paper, an improved material that allows more cargo to be stored inside the pores is presented.…”

Mesoporous silica materials for controlled delivery based on enzymes

“…In the presence of porcine liver esterase (PLE), the ester linkage was hydrolysed with the subsequent removal of adamantly stopper, which resulted in Rh B release. 59,60 The same authors prepared a closely related system, but by loading MSNs with fluorescein or CPT, and then capping pores with the PEG stalks encircled with α-CDs, which ended with folic acid (FA) as a stopper (see Figure 5B). Once again, addition of PLE induced cargo release.…”

Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering and Gated Materials for Sensing Applications: The Ultrasensitive Detection of Mycoplasma and Cocaine

“…An interesting application in this field is the development of gated nanodevices that can deliver an entrapped cargo when selected external stimuli are applied. These gated materials consist of a suitable inorganic support that acts as a nanocontainer and a switchable “gate‐like” ensemble capable of being “opened” or “closed” at‐will . Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are suitable inorganic scaffolds in gated ensembles because they contain tailor‐made homogeneous pores of approximately 2–10 nm in diameter, are highly inert, easy to functionalize through known chemistries, and have a remarkable load capacity dictated by large specific surface areas and specific volumes .…”