Synthesis of monodisperse fluorescent core-shell silica particles using a modified Stöber method for imaging individual particles in dense colloidal suspensions

Core-shell silica particles, with a diameter of 1.5 μm, containing a dye fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), are synthesized by the hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is added to synthesize fluorescent core particles with the diameter of approximately 1 μm. In the addition of SDS, the surface charge reduced by counterions (Na+) of the surfactant leads to a higher degree of aggregation of the primary particles and the formation of larger secondary particles. The particle growth kinetics confirms the aggregation growth model for the synthesis of monodisperse silica particles, and also shows the dependence of final particle size on colloidal stability resulting from the addition of SDS. Light and X-ray scattering data reveal that the final particles have compactly packed structures with smooth surfaces. The seeded growth technique is then used to form a silica shell layer on the fluorescent core. The added amount of water and NH4OH has significant effects on shell formation. Finally, the final core-shell silica particles are modified by chemisorption of octadecanol at the surface to be dispersed in organic solvents. Octadecyl-coated silica particles are sterically stabilized in silica index-matching solvents such as chloroform and hexadecane to directly image separate particles using confocal microscopy. In chloroform, the organophilic silica particles disperse well, whereas in hexadecane they form a volume-filling gel structure at room temperature.