Large-scale synthesis of monodisperse microporous silica nanoparticles by gradual injection of reactants

Monodisperse microporous silica particles were prepared in high yield, by the gradual injection of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and template molecules into the reaction system. This resulted in continuous nucleation. The dilute TMOS concentration suppressed silica particle aggregation. The diameters of the microporous silica particles were 100–130 nm. The narrow size distribution resulted from larger particles experiencing smaller growth rates, despite the continuous nucleation occurring during TMOS injection. This method has potential in the industrial-scale preparation of monodisperse silica particles.