Determination of the shell growth direction during the formation of silica microcapsules by confocal fluorescence microscopy

Abstract

A novel procedure was developed to determine the direction of silica growth during the formation of a silica shell around aqueous microdroplets in water-in-oil Pickering emulsions, and it was found that the shell grows from the inside to the outside.

Hydrolysis and Condensation of Tetraethyl Orthosilicate at the Air–Aqueous Interface: Implications for Silica Nanoparticle Formation

“…2 van Wijk et al have determined the growth direction of silica shells using confocal fluorescence microscopy through interfacial interaction between reactants such as the TEOS precursor and water present in different phases to prepare silica microcapsules used for controlled release of the drugs inside the body. 7 Li et al investigated the in situ formation of small-sized silica nanoparticles with the mixture of TEOS and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) at the air−water interface by using the Langmuir trough. 27 Then, the morphology of silica domains was investigated using atomic force microscopy.…”

“…Silica nanoparticles possess an essential place in the scientific and technological world with tremendous applications in photonics, electronics, polymer nanocomposites, antifouling coatings, antireflective coatings, chemical and biochemical sensors, and drug delivery. − With a remarkable evolution in nanotechnology, the implementation of silica as nanoparticles has sprung up in several practical domains. For instance, the fabrication of silica nanoparticles is progressively being studied for building fatigue-proof and adhesive dental nanocomposites .…”

“…Different mechanically robust antireflection coatings have been realized using silica nanoparticles for self-cleaning optics, catalysis, or photosensitizing applications. , Interestingly, Gao et al demonstrated the inductive heating of magnetic nanoparticle-based silica coating to improve the vitrification of cryopreserved biological tissue samples . Although silica nanoparticles have impressive wide-ranging applications, but the understanding of their formation mechanism through interaction between the silica precursor and the solvent is still under investigation. ,− …”

“…Xia et al showed that variation in the molar ratio of water and TEOS resulted in a different morphology of silica particles from the linear network and bead-like structure to the granular particle structure . van Wijk et al have determined the growth direction of silica shells using confocal fluorescence microscopy through interfacial interaction between reactants such as the TEOS precursor and water present in different phases to prepare silica microcapsules used for controlled release of the drugs inside the body . Li et al investigated the in situ formation of small-sized silica nanoparticles with the mixture of TEOS and 1,2-dipalmitoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) at the air–water interface by using the Langmuir trough .…”