A Tetraphenylethene Luminogen-Functionalized Gemini Surfactant for Simple and Controllable Fabrication of Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanorods with Enhanced Fluorescence

Nanoparticles that possess unique structures and properties are highly desired in the production of multifunctional materials because of their combinational performance. In this study, a facile and effective fabricating strategy is developed to controllably prepare fluorescent hollow mesoporous silica nanorods via the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and tetraphenylethene (TPE) luminogen-functionalized gemini surfactant (CTPE–C6–CTPE) guided dual-templating approach. Because of its unique chemical structure, water solubility, surface activity, and fluorescent properties, the designed CTPE–C6–CTPE will not only provide an anchored fluorophore for silica nanoparticles but also serve as an intimate partner of CTAB to regulate their construction in the structure-directing process. By properly tuning the molar ratio of CTAB/CTPE–C6–CTPE, the shape-controlled aggregation-induced emission hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (AIE-MSNs) can be prepared directly, producing two kinds of silica nanorods (AIE-...