Ellipsoidal magnetic mesoporous particles for targeted drug delivery.

Abstract

Ellipsoidal rattle-type hollow particles with hematite (α-Fe2O3) spindles encapsulated in mesoporous silica shells have been fabricated by simultaneous sol-gel polymerization of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane (C18TMS). A ring-shaped cavity was created between the iron oxide core and mesoporous silica shell by hydrothermal treatment followed by calcination to remove the organic groups. A mesoporous silica shell with randomly ordered mesopores and a cavity of up to 40 nm wide was created.

The fabrication of ellipsoidal particles with α-Fe2O3 core-mesoporous silica shell was also attempted through surface templating with the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a template. The synthesized particles were sub-optimal as the process used to fabricate the particles was not yet mature.