Synthesis of mesoporous metal-organic cages or polyhedra (MOCs or MOPs) that retain their porous functionality in the solid state remains challenging, given their tendency to collapse upon desolvatio...

Current treatment options for Mycobacterium marinum infections are extensive and challenging. In this work, authors explore the potential of functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles as a carrier for delivery of drugs against M. marinum.

Porous polyacrylonitrile membranes—typically used as non-selective support layers—can be used to achieve effective molecular refining of crude oil at steady state, enabling substantial reductions in energy consumption, cooling water, and CO2 emissions compared with distillation processes.

The cooperative reactivity characteristic of molecular dinuclear nickel complexes is transferred to mesoporous silica through a systematic immobilization strategy. The resulting material preserves th...

Amorphous aluminosilicates are known for their excellent performance in (bio)ethanol dehydration for ethylene production. Several studies showed that …

Nanoemulsion modular assembly is emerging as a versatile strategy for synthesizing diverse functional mesoporous nanomaterials. This Review highlights the capabilities of nanoemulsion modular assembly...

Read the full paper: Thermoregulated photothermal therapy for bone defects using graphene oxide hydrogel with mesoporous silica-derived phase-change nanocapsules

Polymer functionalization of mesoporous materials is crucial for a range of technologies including separation and sensing. In this study, we investigate the influence of monomer charge on enzyme-catalyzed polymerizations in mesoporous silica particles. Specifically, we copolymerize various charged monomers, such as potassium 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate (KSPMA), [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (METAC), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate phosphate (MEP), and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), with the positively charged fluorescent comonomer rhodamine-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (RhoB-HEMA), using enzyme-catalyzed surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-bioATRP). The polymerizations were performed in mesoporous spherical silica particles with average pore diameters of 23, 21, 17, and 12 nm using hemoglobin (Hb) as the catalyst. By adjusting the ratio of the fluorescent comonomer RhoB-HEMA to the charged monomers, the amount of the fluorescent comonomer in the polymers can be varied. Size-restricted accessibility of hemoglobin and small molecules, such as monomers to mesopores, especially when the pore neck diameter was smaller than the size of the protein, led to polymer formation mostly in the outer regions of the particles. Larger mesopores led to a homogeneous distribution of copolymers throughout the particles and to a higher overall polymer content within the mesoporous structures. These findings provide insights into the possibilities of functionalizing silica mesopores with polyelectrolytes via enzymatic SI-bioATRP, while the fluorescent comonomer enabled direct visualization of the copolymers by fluorescence microscopy. We anticipate that this approach will further advance the field of polymerization in confined nanoporous environments.