Novel, Green, Fast, and Scalable Method for Producing Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (DMSNs) with High Channel Accessibility

This work provides the first experimental evidence of a fully novel and innovative green-synthesis protocol for dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs). DMSNs are widely used in various scientific fields, such as drug delivery, catalysis, and environmental remediation; however, their production still presents critical challenges, particularly with respect to sustainability for both operators and the environment. The novel method proposed here is rapid and straightforward, carried out entirely in aqueous solution using a microwave reactor operated in sealed vessels. Owing to the simplicity and strict parameter control of this approach, the roles of temperature and pressure in directing surfactant self-assembly are reported for the first time, resulting in a center-symmetric arrangement of the mesoporous structure. This method eliminates the need for organic solvents, pore modifiers, or cosurfactants, which are typically required to obtain the radial mesostructure. Moreover, the use of microwave-based reactors enables scalability through a modular setup and allows for a significant reduction in reaction time (∼10 min) and energy consumption. A comparative analysis with mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) featuring longitudinal channel structures reveals that the radial configuration of DMSNs exhibits more efficient mass transport, higher loading capacity for active species, and improved diffusion dynamics, which translate into superior performance across several applications.