Cellular complexity captured in durable silica biocomposites.

Tissue-derived cultured cells exhibit a remarkable range of morphological features in vitro, depending on phenotypic expression and environmental interactions. Translation of these cellular architectures into inorganic materials would provide routes to generate hierarchical nanomaterials with stabilized structures and functions. Here, we describe the fabrication of cell/silica composites (CSCs) and their conversion to silica replicas using mammalian cells as scaffolds to direct complex structure formation.

Tin(II) amide/alkoxide coordination compounds for production of Sn-based nanowires for lithium ion battery anode materials.

A series of tin(II) amide alkoxides ([(OR)Sn(NMe(2))](n)) and tin(II) alkoxides ([Sn(OR)(2)](n)) were investigated as precursors for the production of tin oxide (SnO(x)) nanowires. The precursors were synthesized from the metathesis of tin dimethylamide ([Sn(NMe(2))(2)](2)) and a series of aryl alcohols {H-OAr = H-OC(6)H(4)(R)-2: R = CH(3) (H-oMP), CH(CH(3))(2) (H-oPP), C(CH(3))(3) (H-oBP)] or [H-OC(6)H(3)(R)(2)-2,6: R = CH(3) (H-DMP), CH(CH(3))(2) (H-DIP), C(CH(3))(3) (H-DBP)]}. The 1:1 products were all identified as the dinuclear species [(OAr)Sn(μ-NMe(2))](2) where OAr = oMP (1), oPP (2), oBP (3), DMP (4), DIP (5), DBP (6).

Delivery of small interfering RNA by peptide-targeted mesoporous silica nanoparticle-supported lipid bilayers.

The therapeutic potential of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) is severely limited by the availability of delivery platforms that protect siRNA from degradation, deliver it to the target cell with high specificity and efficiency, and promote its endosomal escape and cytosolic dispersion. Here we report that mesoporous silica nanoparticle-supported lipid bilayers (or "protocells") exhibit multiple properties that overcome many of the limitations of existing delivery platforms. Protocells have a 10- to 100-fold greater capacity for siRNA than corresponding lipid nanoparticles and are markedly more stable when incubated under physiological conditions.