Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery, Catalysis and Rice Husk Valorization
This community develops porous silica materials, primarily from agricultural waste like rice husk, to serve as carriers for pharmaceuticals, supports for industrial catalysts, and components in rubber composites.
The research centers on the synthesis of mesoporous silica nanoparticles, often utilizing rice husk ash as a low-cost feedstock. Key methods include sol-gel processing and the creation of hollow or core-shell structures to control pore size and surface area. These materials are functionalized for two distinct purposes: biomedical applications, specifically drug delivery for cancer therapy and nucleic acid transport, and chemical engineering, where they act as supports for enzyme immobilization and titanium silicalite-1 catalysts for epoxidation and oxidation reactions. The work also explores the integration of these silica particles into natural rubber nanocomposites to enhance material performance.
The community is most heavily represented in silicon research, accounting for 4,435 papers, which constitutes 1.2% of all tracked silicon research. It also contributes significantly to titanium research, with 1,021 papers representing 0.4% of that element's total output.
This group comprises 9,801 papers, with the highest publication volume in Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, Chemistry of Materials, and Langmuir.
Recent work continues to focus on the functionalization of mesoporous silica for precision nanomedicine, including targeted delivery across the blood-brain barrier and breast cancer therapy. Simultaneously, current research is refining titanium silicalite-1 catalysts for selective oxidation and developing integrated processes to maximize sugar yields from rice husk biomass.