Tunable stellate mesoporous silica nanoparticles for intracellular drug delivery

Stellate mesoporous silica nanoparticles with special radial pore morphology were easily synthesized using triethanolamine as the base catalyst in a wide range of synthesis conditions. By adjusting the surfactant composition, reaction temperature and time, and reagent ratio, the particle size of the material could be tailored continuously ranging from 50 to 140 nm and the pore size from 2 to 20 nm. By analyzing the effects of different synthesis parameters, it is concluded that the particles are formed following a nucleation-growth mechanism and the reaction kinetics play an important role in determining the particle size and pore structure. These stellate MSNs can be conveniently functionalized with a nontoxic low molecular weight poly(ethylene imine) (PEI, 800 Da) by a delayed condensation method. The resulting nanocomposites not only possess auto-fluorescence for suitable particle tracking but also demonstrate good potential for intracellular delivery of the anticancer doxorubicin drug.