Recent progress on silica coating of nanoparticles and related nanomaterials.

In recent years, new strategies for silica coating of inorganic nanoparticles and organic nanomaterials, which differ from the classical methodologies, have emerged at the forefront of materials science. Silica as a coating material promises an unparalleled opportunity for enhancement of colloidal properties and functions by using core-shell rational designs and profiting from its synthetic versatility. This contribution provides a brief overview of recent progress in the synthesis of silica-coated nanomaterials and their significant impact in different areas such as spectroscopy, magnetism, catalysis, and biology.