Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (MSN) and biological applications

Obtaining materials with perfectly controlled structuring and nanometric-sized objects can have applications in the fields of electronics, the environment, biology and medicine. In the 90s, Mobil Corporation Materials [1][2] synthesized MCM-41, mesoporous silicas belonging to the molecular sieve family. These silicas (formula SiO ₂ ) have porosity organized in a hexagonal network with pore diameters ranging from 1.5 to 10 nm and large specific surface areas, of the order of 1,000 m ² g ^–1 . Since then, the chemical community has been particularly active in synthesizing silicon materials, in order to control and diversify their structure. For example, silicas of the MCM-48 type feature a cubic network of mesopores [3][4] , while MCM-50s feature a lamellar network [5][6] . Functionalization [7][8], by organic or organometallic molecules, polymers or biomolecules, has been studied. Mesoporous silicas have found numerous applications in a wide variety of fields, including catalysis [9] , chromatography [10] , ion adsorption [11] , enzyme immobilization [12] , and controlled drug delivery [13][14] . Even more recently, nanoparticles, i.e. particles with a diameter of between 60 and 300 nm, have been synthesized [15] . Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have unique properties, such as a high specific surface area or a narrow pore size distribution. They can also be easily functionalized and are biocompatible, making them ideal candidates for biological applications.