Facile preparation of highly monodisperse small silica spheres (15 to >200 nm) suitable for colloidal templating and formation of ordered arrays

Highly monodisperse spherical silica nanoparticles with diameters ranging from ca. 15 to 200 nm were prepared using an environmentally friendly water-based synthesis. The size of the spheres can be precisely controlled by using a facile regrowth procedure in the same reaction media. Furthermore, these monodisperse silica spheres can be successfully used as seeds in the well-established Stober silica preparation. The regrowth approach allows for easy incorporation of functional additives. High monodispersity and charge stabilization renders these nanoparticles highly suitable for close-packed array formation and colloidal templating.