Issue 8, 2012

Biomimetic synthesis of silica hollow spheres using poly (l-lysine) and mechanism research

Abstract

The biomimetic synthesis of silica hollow spheres induced by poly (L-lysine) (PLL) under mild conditions is reported in this paper. A number of analytical techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, circular dichroism analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, and liquid atomic force microscopy, were used to investigate the synthesis and characterization of the materials. While the PLL peptide backbone interacted with the silicate species in the solution via electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding, the surfaces of PLL served as catalytic sites for the hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethoxysilane. The continuous process of biomineralization from nucleation to the formation of hollow spheres was observed, providing direct proof of biosilica in situ mineralization. A three-step mechanism was proposed. PLL directed the nucleation of the silica precursor and crystalline growth. Silica nanoparticles aggregated and self-assembled to form hollow spheres. The results obtained suggest that it is possible to control the synthesis of silica biomimetic materials under mild chemical and physical conditions.

Graphical abstract: Biomimetic synthesis of silica hollow spheres using poly (l-lysine) and mechanism research

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Jan 2012
Accepted
09 Jan 2012
First published
22 Feb 2012

RSC Adv., 2012,2, 3288-3297

Biomimetic synthesis of silica hollow spheres using poly (L-lysine) and mechanism research

N. Li, X. Zhang, Q. Wang, F. Wang and P. Shen, RSC Adv., 2012, 2, 3288 DOI: 10.1039/C2RA00019A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements