Recent advances in fabrication and sustained/controlled-release application of hollow silica microspheres

Abstract

Hollow silica (SiO2) microspheres with special interior spaces, excellent adsorption and permeability, and controllability of material deliveries are suitable for loading and releasing guest molecules of various functionalities such as drug, fragrances, dyes, bacteria, etc. More importantly, hollow silica (SiO2) microspheres have attracted much attention due to their tremendous applications in sustained drug release, medical imaging, environmental protection, and cosmetics industry. In this paper, different preparation methods of hollow silica microspheres are reviewed and compared. Besides, the persistence and efficiency of hollow silica microspheres employed as delivery carriers and superiority of functionalized organic/inorganic hybrid microspheres are emphatically summarized. Meanwhile, the vast potential for future development of hollow silica microspheres as a novel type of sustained/controlled release carriers is prospected.