Synthesis of well-dispersed layered double hydroxide core@ordered mesoporous silica shell nanostructure (LDH@mSiO2) and its application in drug delivery

Abstract

We demonstrate an efficient synthesis of novel layered double hydroxide mesoporous silica core–shell nanostructures (LDH@mSiO₂) that have a hexagonal MgAl-LDH nanoplate core and an ordered mesoporous silica shell with perpendicularly oriented channels via a surfactant-templating method. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and N₂ sorption analyses confirmed that the obtained nanostructures have uniform accessible mesopores (∼2.2 nm), high surface area (∼430 m² g⁻¹), and large pore volume (∼0.22 cm³ g⁻¹). Investigations of drug release and bio-imaging showed that this material has a slow release effect of ibuprofen and good biocompatibility. This work provides an economical approach to fabricate LDH@mSiO₂ core–shell nanostructures, which may have great potential in broad drug delivery and hyperthermia therapy applications.