In this thesis, a generic method was developed for surface modification of nanoparticles (NP) with silica shell using Stöber method. Nanoparticles synthesized from nonhydrolytic solvents such as various ethers were first surface activated with a silane-based poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Because of the amphiphilicity of PEG moiety, these nanoparticles could be easily transferred from hydrophobic...

Detection of micrometastases plays an important role in early-stage and recurrent cancer diagnosis. In the study, a new method of screening micrometastases of lung cancer in peripheral blood by magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and quantum dots (QDs) was developed to achieve early diagnosis and recurrence prevention. MNPs were prepared by combining miniemulsion polymerization and Stöber coating met...

A series of nanocomposites consisting of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (ZVI NPs) encapsulated in SiO2 microspheres were successfully synthesized through a successive two-step method, i.e., the wet chemical reduction by borohydride followed by a modified Stöber method. The as-synthesized nanocomposites were characterized using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, vibr...

BACKGROUND The sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) was developed as a new modality in the surgical diagnosis of lymph node metastases. Dye and radioisotope are major tracers for the detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN). Dye tends to excessively infiltrate into the interstitium due to their small size (less than several nanometers), resulting in difficulties in maintaining clear surgical fields...

Heat treatment is a standard method to increase the hardness of silica in various applications. Here, we tested the effect of high temperature annealing on the mechanical properties of silica microcapsules by force spectroscopy under point loads applied to the particle shell. The Young's modulus of the shells moderately increases after annealing at temperatures above 500 °C. Temperatures over 8...