Uptake of hydrophilic toxins in hollow silica shells obtained from core-shell nanostructures

Abstract

Hollow shells of silica were obtained by the dissolution of the oxide core of Co₃,O₄@SiO₂ core-shell nanostructures. These hollow shells were characterized using TEM, EDX and IR. TEM studies show that the size and shape of the hollow shells depend on the size and shape of the core-shell nanostructure from which they were obtained. These hollow shells have the potential to function as nanovessels which can entrap hydrophilic moieties (e.g. methyl orange) present in trace amount in the aqueous environment. From the spectrophotometric studies it was observed that up to 18% of the hydrophilic dye can be entrapped using these hollow shells.