Nanoparticle vesicles through self assembly of cyclodextrin- and adamantyl-modified silica

Stable nanoparticle vesicles were for the first time prepared from adamantyl- and cyclodextrin (CD)-modified silica nanoparticles forming host-guest interactions in aqueous solution. Adamantyl-functionalized nanoparticles were obtained from thiol-isocyanate reaction of thiol-modified nanoparticles with 1-adamantyl isocyanate. The CD modified silica particles were isolated from a reaction of mono-6-para-toluenesulfonyl-β-cyclodextrin with the thiol functionalized silica under microwave conditions in basic media. The obtained particles were characterized in respect of agglomeration and self-assembly behavior in aqueous solution by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The found vesicle structures are exceptionally stable even after evaporation of water. Such inorganic hollow spheres formed through self-assembly processes may be important for chemical storage and transport. The technique of chemically-driven assembly is an attractive option to form useful complex structures by tunable agglomeration.