A novel pathway for synthesis of submicrometer-size solid core/mesoporous shell silica spheres

The synthesis of tailored nanoparticles-non-porous and porous-is a major challenge in advanced materials science. The authors here report the synthesis of submicrometer-size silica particles with a solid core and a thin porous shell (see Figure). The thermal stability and the high specific surface area make these silica beads suitable as adsorbents for various applications in chromatography.