Synthesis and characterisation of hollow monodisperse silica-titania nanostructures for potential use in targeted delivery of drugs/vaccines/genes
type: CreativeWork
description: In recent years, there has been a continuous growth in pharmaceutical formulations based on nanoparticle technology. Although a large number of nanocarriers have been studied, most of them are limited by their ability to carry sufficiently viable therapeutic loads, toxicity, and target specific delivery etc. There is, therefore, an urgent need to develop novel, smart nanocarriers which avoid the above limitations. Hollow nanoparticles with their hollow cavity and favourable surface modification, offer a great deal of promise in drug delivery applications. However, a good understanding and thorough characterisation of these nanoparticulate systems is crucial. In this thesis, (solid) silica nanoparticles, silica-titania core-shell nanoparticles (STCSNP) and silica-titania hollow nanoparticles (STHNP) were synthesized using literature procedures. A series of analytical techniques were used to characterize the three different nanoparticles, including dynamic light scattering, scanning transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen physisorption, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction technique. Furthermore, the stabilization and purification of these nanoparticle dispersions were carried out using two different procedures (dialysis and centrifugation). Dialysis was found to be the more sophisticated procedure for the purification of these nanoparticle dispersions, i.e. without inducing aggregation. This thesis also demonstrates the versatility of solvent relaxation NMR to study silica-titania hollow nanoparticles (STHNP), along with the bare silica nanoparticles and silica-titania core-shell nanoparticles (STCSNP). The possibility of conducting porosity measurements on complex structures like mesoporous hollow nanoparticles by NMR spectroscopy was explored. NMR spectroscopy was sensitive to both the inner and outer surfaces of the hollow nanoparticles, with some sensitivity to STHNP, as well as from the transition metal (titania) present. Two relaxation …
abstract: In recent years, there has been a continuous growth in pharmaceutical formulations based on nanoparticle technology. Although a large number of nanocarriers have been studied, most of them are limited by their ability to carry sufficiently viable therapeutic loads, toxicity, and target specific delivery etc. There is, therefore, an urgent need to develop novel, smart nanocarriers which avoid the above limitations. Hollow nanoparticles with their hollow cavity and favourable surface modification, offer a great deal of promise in drug delivery applications. However, a good understanding and thorough characterisation of these nanoparticulate systems is crucial. In this thesis, (solid) silica nanoparticles, silica-titania core-shell nanoparticles (STCSNP) and silica-titania hollow nanoparticles (STHNP) were synthesized using literature procedures. A series of analytical techniques were used to characterize the three different nanoparticles, including dynamic light scattering, scanning transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen physisorption, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction technique. Furthermore, the stabilization and purification of these nanoparticle dispersions were carried out using two different procedures (dialysis and centrifugation). Dialysis was found to be the more sophisticated procedure for the purification of these nanoparticle dispersions, i.e. without inducing aggregation. This thesis also demonstrates the versatility of solvent relaxation NMR to study silica-titania hollow nanoparticles (STHNP), along with the bare silica nanoparticles and silica-titania core-shell nanoparticles (STCSNP). The possibility of conducting porosity measurements on complex structures like mesoporous hollow nanoparticles by NMR spectroscopy was explored. NMR spectroscopy was sensitive to both the inner and outer surfaces of the hollow nanoparticles, with some sensitivity to STHNP, as well as from the transition metal (titania) present. Two relaxation …
author: Hossain, Md Reduanul
language: en
keywords: QD Chemistry, RS Pharmacy and materia medica
date published: 2016-10
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:25:56Z
provider: University of Greenwich
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Greenwich