Display omitted •A simple one-step preparation of inhibitor-loaded mesoporous SiO2 nanocontainers was designed.•The new one-step method was efficient, energy-saving and organic solvents-free compared with traditional multi-step preparations.•The resultant nanocontainers had high uptake of inhibitor (∼16 wt.%) and possessed pH-responsive inhibitor release property.•The coating incorporated with the nanocontainers significantly improved the corrosion resistance of copper substrate. We present a simple one-step method of preparing inhibitor-loaded mesoporous silica nanocontainers without extra steps such as template removal or inhibitors loading. The synthetic method is based on the high solubility of organic inhibitors in hydrophobic cores of template micelles. The resultant inhibitor (benzotriazole) and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) co-loaded silica nanocontainers had high uptake of inhibitor (∼16 wt.%) and possessed H+ ion-responsive inhibitor release property. When examined by scanning vibrating electrode technique, the coating doped with these nanocontainers exhibits effective corrosion protection property. These results suggest that the one-step synthetic method was efficient, energy-saving and organic solvents-free among others.