Increasing Surface Area of Silica Nanoparticles With a Rough Surface

The silica nanoparticles with a rough surface were developed using a silane precursor in a reverse microemulsion followed by a drying treatment. The surface roughness of the nanoparticles was adjustable by changing the amount of the precursor. Within a certain range, the roughness increased as the amount of the silane precursor increased. The rough surface provided a larger surface area than the smooth one. The produced nanoparticles were characterized using the transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray elemental analysis, and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller analysis technique. Additionally, the amount of surface functional amino groups on the nanoparticles was detected using the traditional acid-base titration and the dissociation constant of this functional group was calculated. On the basis of the experimental results, the mechanism of the formation of the rough surface was proposed. Finally, the produced silica nanoparticles were utilized as a carrier for the chemical binding of a near-infrared dye molecule and the adsorption of the gold nanoparticles. The results demonstrated that the rough surface provide the silica nanoparticles with a high capacity of surface chemical and supramolecular reactions.