Luminescent silica nanoparticles: morphology and synthesis methods

Abstract

Luminescent, photostable, and easily functionalized silica nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely used for biochemical sensing, time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay, imaging of blood vessels, and bioanalytical assays. These NPs are typically generated by incorporating different emission centers, such as organic/inorganic fluorophores, quantum dots, or lanthanides, into the silica matrix. The current article reviews different researches of Luminescent colloidal silica nanoparticles for period of last couple years and shows how their properties can be used in different applications. Main works based on using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) to grow nanoparticles of mesoporous silica. The main method to prepare them was Stober basic route.