Rh6G released from solid and nanoporous SiO2 spheres prepared by sol-gel route

Porous silica nanoparticles are considering good systems for drug cargo and liquid separation. In this work we studied the release of rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) from solid and porous silica nanoparticles. Solid and porous SiO2 spheres were prepared by sol-gel method. Nanoporous channels were produced by using a surfactant that was removed by chemical procedure. Rh6G was incorporated into the channels by impregnation. The hexagonal structure of the pores was detected by XRD and confirmed by HRTEM micrographs. Rh6G released from the particles by stirring them in water at controlled speed was studied as function of time by photoluminescence. Released ratio was faster in the solid nanoparticles than in the porous ones. In the last case, a second release mechanism was observed. It was related with rhodamine coming out from the porous.