Nanoscience under glass: the versatile chemistry of silica nanostructures

Silica nanoparticles and nanostructures provide an unprecedented materials platform to accomplish many nanoscale functions, and they offer a practical method for introducing multiple functionalities into the same nanoparticle. Much of the advances in silica nanochemistry are based on the condensation of tetraethylorthosilane, known as the Stöber synthesis. We discuss some unusual approaches for modifying and ultimately controlling the growth of silica nanostructures, from microgravity studies to advances in biomimetic synthesis and a novel peptide-based templating approach.