Facile incorporation of dispersed fluorescent carbon nanodots into mesoporous silica nanosphere for pH-triggered drug delivery and imaging

Dispersed incorporation of functional nanoparticles into ordered mesopores to exert their synergistic properties has shown a promising application, but proved to be a challenging task. Herein, a facile strategy based on solid-phase transformation of the template into polymer-coated carbonaceous nanodots (pCNDs) is used for direct synthesis of multifunctional mesoporous silica nanospheres (MFMSNs) incorporated with dispersed fluorescent carbon nanodots. The homogeneous pCNDs incorporated into mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs) can simultaneously act as the nontoxic fluorescence probe for highly efficient fluorescence imaging and also anchoring sites for anticancer drug loading. On the basis of the special hydrophobic π-π/electrostatic interaction between the confined pCNDs in MFMSNs and the aromatic drug molecules, MFMSNs could also function as an advanced drug carrier for pH-triggered drug release. The very simple strategy suggests new insights for synthesizing multifunctional mesoporous nanomaterials and extends the biomedical functions of traditional MSN-based nanovehicles for future biomedical applications.