Silica nanoboxes have been successfully synthesized via a simple hard-template method at room temperature. The MnCO 3 nanocubes are firstly employed as the hard template. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used to characterize silica nanoboxes and indicates the hollow structure of products. The shell thickness of nanoboxes can be well controlled by the amount of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and the surface area is calculated through the N 2 adsorption–desorption isotherm. Based on these results, a plausible mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of silica nanoboxes. In addition, preliminary tests demonstrate that the silica nanoboxes are capable of being loaded and releasing Rhodamine B, thus showing a great potential in the controlled delivery applications.
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