Controllable synthesis of silica hollow spheres by vesicle templating of silicone surfactants

Abstract

Silica hollow spheres (SHSs) have been designed and prepared through three distinct synthetic routes based on the self-assembling of comb-like copolymer silicone surfactants. This process was based on the rule of similarities for hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity between the surfactant and a silica source. The directed silica wall formations were performed at different confined spaces of the vesicles, including the outer and inner surfaces, and the hydrophobic parts of the bi-layers. The resultant SHSs possess tailorable shell thicknesses (20–400 nm), particle sizes (200 nm–1.2 μm), and a high dispersibility in aqueous solutions.