Finally, in order to synthesize PEG/vinyl-g-silica NPs, schematically shown in Fig. 1, the molar ratio of VTMS to TEOS was
kept constant at 1/9 according to Effati and Pourabbas [42] and Marini et al. [43] reports on one-pot synthesis method. In this
regard, VTMS was added dropwise to the reaction mixture after the solution became transparent due to the formation of
primary particles, which are indeed the reaction products of TEOS. After 5 min, PEG was added to the reaction vessel and
mixing continued for 60 min. Separation, washing and drying of the final product were carried out following a similar
pattern described previously.