Merck, 938181-2G, Silica

General description
Our hollow silica nanoparticles are precisely engineered spherical particles of silicon dioxide with a purity of 99.999%. These particles have a uniform particle size of 1000 nm comprised of a porous silica shell, with an average pore size of 40 Å, that surrounds the central hollow cavity. The structure and design of these nanoparticles play a vital role in determining their unique physical characteristics. These properties include low density, a large specific surface area, low dielectric constant, low electrical and thermal conductivity, as well as abnormal light scattering behavior.
Application
Hollow silica nanoparticles find application in many areas including drug delivery, catalysis, thermal insulation, and functional coatings. In drug delivery, the hollow interior of the nanoparticles can be used to encapsulate and deliver drugs to specific targets. The average 2-nm sized pores can selectively allow certain molecules to pass through while blocking or slowing others. In catalysis, the nanoparticles can act as catalyst supports due to their high surface area and porosity. Hollow silica nanoparticles impregnated with the catalyst may be particularly useful in environments with complex matrices where the porosity of the particle facilitates the isolation of reactants from matrix elements. In electronic applications, hollow silica’s low thermal conductivity can be utilized to improve thermal insulation properties and their monodisperse particle size facilitates their self-assembly into arrays with unique optical and electrical properties.