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Dynamic light scattering unveils stochastic degradation in large-pore mesoporous silica nanoparticles

Large-pore silica nanoparticles are being developed in nanomedicine as nanovectors to transport biomolecules to target sites. However, little is known about their degradation, which is crucial to prevent the accumulation of foreign objects in the body. In this study, we used standard and confocal dynamic light scattering techniques together with electron microscopies to assess their hydrolysis kinetics. We found that nanoparticles do not dissolve simultaneously, but rather decrease in number monoexponentially, while intact and altered nanoparticles coexist throughout the process. This counter-intuitive result will be important for developing these nano-objects for nanomedicine.