Synthesis and Functionalization of a Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle Based on the Sol–Gel Process and Applications in Controlled Release

Brian G. Trewyn received his B.Sc. degree in chemistry and microbiology from the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse in 2000 and his Ph.D. degree from Iowa State University in the spring of 2006. He joined the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State University as an assistant scientist and is currently working with Prof. Victor Lin. His research centers on biological applications of MSNs.

Igor I. Slowing received his License degree in chemistry from San Carlos University in Guatemala in 1995. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Victor Lin’s research group at Iowa State University. He studies biological applications of MSNs.

Supratim Giri received his B.Sc. degree in chemistry from Presidency College Kolkata, India, in 1997 and M.Sc. degree in chemistry from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India, in 2002. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Victor Lin’s research group in the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State University. His research focuses on the development of magnetic nanoparticle-based stimuli-responsive delivery systems.

Hung-Ting Chen received his B.Sc. degree in chemistry from the National Tsing Hua Univesity at Hsinchu, Taiwan, in 1997 and his Master's degree in chemsitry from the National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1999 under the direction of Prof. Man-Kit Leung. He has recently received his Ph.D. degree from Iowa State University and will begin working for Prof. Vincent Rotello at University of Massachusetts—Amherst. His research at Iowa State University has focused on multifunctionalized MSN catalysts.

Victor S.-Y. Lin received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania at the end of 1996. After working as a Skaggs postdoctoral fellow at the Scripps Research Institute, he joined the faculty at Iowa State University in the fall of 1999. He is currently a Professor of Chemistry at Iowa State University and the program director of the Chemical and Biological Sciences program at the U.S. DOE Ames Laboratory. His research centers on the design of functional nanoporous materials for selective catalysis and biotechnological applications, such as biosensor design, drug delivery, and gene transfection.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are introduced as chemically and thermally stable nanomaterials with well-defined and controllable morphology and porosity. It is shown that these particles possess external and internal surfaces that can be selectively functionalized with multiple organic and inorganic groups. On the basis of these characteristics, the biocompatibility of silica, and their efficient uptake by mammalian cells, MSNs are proposed as the basis of nanodevices for the controlled release of drugs and genes into living cells.