What is silica nanoparticles used for?
Silica (silicon dioxide) nanoparticles facilitate surface properties such as geometry and porosity to be utilized in therapeutics and diagnostic fields. Silica nanoparticles can deliver hydrophilic drugs to target tissues.
What are the applications of silica?
Silica has many industrial applications in abrasives and polishes; in glass manufacturing, fillers and extenders, silica brick manufacturing as a catalyst; in specialty coatings, cleaners ceramics, electronics optics, and refractories; in ferro-silicon manufacturing and rubber.
What are silicon nanoparticles?
Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) or silicon dioxide are amorphous substances that have a spherical form. They can be produced in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the properties of their surfaces can be easily changed to suit several purposes.
Are silica nanoparticles FDA approved?
Recently, silica nanoparticles in the form of ‘C-dots’ (Cornell dots) were US FDA approved for stage I human clinical trial. Silica is an endogenous substance, especially abundant in bone, cartilage and other supporting tissue. Silica is ‘generally recognized as safe’ by the US FDA.
What is silica used for in vitamins?
Silicon dioxide is also added to many foods and supplements. As a food additive, it serves as an anticaking agent to avoid clumping. In supplements, it’s used to prevent the various powdered ingredients from sticking together.
Why is silicon used in nanotechnology?
Porous silicon obtained by electrochemical etching of polished silicon is a versatile material for nanotechnology applications due to its tunable pore size, porosity, thermal and mechanical properties, optical and electrical properties, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and most importantly, compatibility with …
How do you make sio2 nanoparticles?
Spherical and amorphous silica nanoparticles can be prepared by the hydrolysis reaction of TEOS in ethanol using water and ammonia using sol-gel method. The particle size of nano silica can be controlled by adding span 20, span 40 and span 60 surfactants.
What is mesoporous silica nanoparticles?
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are synthesized by reacting tetraethyl orthosilicate with a template made of micellar rods. The result is a collection of nano-sized spheres or rods that are filled with a regular arrangement of pores. The template can then be removed by washing with a solvent adjusted to the proper pH.