Titanate-silica mesostructured nanocables: synthesis, structural analysis and biomedical applications

Abstract

1D hierarchical composite mesostructures of titanate and silica were synthesized via an interfacial surfactant templating approach. Such mesostructures have complex core–shell architectures consisting of single-crystalline H₂Ti₃O₇ nanobelts inside the ordered mesoporous SiO₂ shell, which are nontoxic and highly biocompatible. The overall diameter of as-prepared 1D hierarchical composite mesostructures is only approx. 34.2 nm with a length over 500 nm on average. A model to explain the formation mechanism of these mesostructures has been proposed; the negatively charged surface of H₂Ti₃O₇ nanobelts controls the formation of the octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C₁₈TAB) bilayer, which in turn regulates the cooperative self-assembly of silica and C₁₈TAB complex micelles on the interface to produce a mesoporous silica shell. More importantly, the application of synthesized mesostructured nanocables as anticancer drug reservoirs has also been explored, which indicates that the membranes containing these mesoporous nanocables have a great potential to be used as transdermal drug delivery systems.