Table 1 The advantages and disadvantages of the Stöber and reverse microemulsion method
From: Dye-doped silica nanoparticles: synthesis, surface chemistry and bioapplications
Stöber | Reverse microemulsion | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Advantages | Disadvantages | Advantages | Disadvantages |
Water-based synthesis possible | Greater NP polydispersity than reverse microemulsion | Precise control of NP size | Excessive use of organic solvents |
Surfactant-free | Challenging to produce sub-30 nm NPs | Small NPs (20–200 nm) | Residual surfactant on NP surface following purification |
Favoured for upscaling (gram scale) | Â | Â | Not suited to upscaling (milligramme scale) |