Biomimetic synthesis of water-soluble silica nano-sheets　　

　　Biomimetic synthesis employing copolypeptides as templates are used for the preparation of water and organic solvent dispersible silica hybrids. It is a convenient, energy efficient and mild method. By varying copolymer composition and reaction conditions, we can not only control the morphology of silica particles but also their dimensions. The most striking characteristic of these PEG grafted silica hybrids is that the dried nanoplates can be easily re-dispersed in water and other PEG selective organic solvents, which is beneficial to the following surface modification. The obtained PEG grafted silica hybrids are expected to serve as fillers for nanocomposites and carriers of recycled nano-catalyzer.

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