Article | REF: NM4050 V1

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (MSN) and biological applications

Authors: Jean-Olivier DURAND, Laurence RAEHM

Publication date: July 10, 2009

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ABSTRACT

For the last decade, Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (MSN) have been synthesized. These particles have a diameter of 60-300nm and possess a mesoporous hexagonally structured network with a 1.5 to 10nm pore diameter. They also have a specific surface area of approximately 1000 m2g-1. They show unique properties such as a large specific surface area and a narrow pore size distribution. They can be easily functionalized and are biocompatible, which makes them ideal candidates for biological applications. MSN have been used for the fluorescence labeling of biological materials, using one or two-photon dyes encapsulated in the pores of the nanoparticles. They are also used in gene transfection or as contrast agents in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Finally, controlled drug-release systems are one of the most promising applications of MSN for the improvement of human health. New synthesis methods may even provide more functionalities to those particles.

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 INTRODUCTION

Obtaining materials with perfectly controlled structuring and nanometric-sized objects can have applications in the fields of electronics, the environment, biology and medicine. In the 90s, Mobil Corporation Materials [1][2] synthesized MCM-41, mesoporous silicas belonging to the molecular sieve family. These silicas (formula SiO 2 ) have porosity organized in a hexagonal network with pore diameters ranging from 1.5 to 10 nm and large specific surface areas, of the order of 1,000 m 2 g –1 . Since then, the chemical community has been particularly active in synthesizing silicon materials, in order to control and diversify their structure. For example, silicas of the MCM-48 type feature a cubic network of mesopores [3][4] , while MCM-50s feature a lamellar network [5][6] . Functionalization [7][8], by organic or organometallic molecules, polymers or biomolecules, has been studied. Mesoporous silicas have found numerous applications in a wide variety of fields, including catalysis [9] , chromatography [10] , ion adsorption [11] , enzyme immobilization [12] , and controlled drug delivery [13][14] . Even more recently, nanoparticles, i.e. particles with a diameter of between 60 and 300 nm, have been synthesized [15] . Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have unique properties, such as a high specific surface area or a narrow pore size distribution. They can also be easily functionalized and are biocompatible, making them ideal candidates for biological applications.

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Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) and biological applications