Abstract

In this contribution, porous hollow silica nanoparticles using inorganic nano sized ZnSe as template were prepared. The hydrothermal method was used to synthesize pure ZnSe nanospheres material. The ZnSe/SiO₂ core-shell nanocomposites were prepared using a simple sol-gel method successfully. The hollow silica nanostructures were achieved by selective removal of the ZnSe core. The morphology, structure and composition of the product were determined using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results demonstrated clearly that the pure ZnSe nanoparticles are in a spherical form with the average size of 30 nm and correspond with zinc blend structure. The porous hollow silica nanoparticles obtained were exploited as drug carrier to investigate in vitro release behavior of cefalexin in simulated body fluid (SBF). UV-Visible spectrometry was carried out to determine the amount of cefalexin entrapped in the carrier. Cefalexin release profile from porous hollow silica nanoparticles followed a three stage pattern and indicated a delayed release effect.

Key words: Hollow silica nanoparticles, core-shell, ZnSe, drug delivery, transmission electron microscopy (TEM).