Rapid fabrication of core–shell silica particles using a multilayer-by-multilayer approach

Monodisperse silica core-shell particles with a high surface area and large pore size were rapidly prepared via a multilayer-by-multilayer (ML-b-ML) process, with 6-7 layers of silica nanoparticles deposited per coating cycle onto an oppositely charged polyelectrolyte in 0.1 M NH(4)NO(3) at pH 2.7. The resultant porous shells show much greater porosity compared to particles obtained by the traditional layer-by-layer process.