Core-shell and hollow nanocrystal formation via small molecule surface photodissociation; Ag@Ag2Se as an example

Metallic Ag nanoparticles have been converted to Ag2Se nanoparticles at ambient temperature and open atmosphere by UV photodissociation of adsorbed CSe2 on the Ag core surface. The photolysis could be prevented at any stage yielding Ag@Ag2Se core-shell structures of different thickness. Depending on the initial Ag nanoparticle size, either hollow or filled nanocrystals of Ag2Se could be prepared. The Kirkendall effect has been proposed to account for the formation of hollow nanoparticles. A coated-sphere Drude model has been used to explain the redshift of the Ag plasmon band as a function of the Ag2Se shell thickness as well as to provide the first estimates of the wavelength-dependent dielectric function of Ag2Se. This photochemical method might be especially promising for carrying out a direct room-temperature phototransformation of metallic into semiconductor nanostructures already assembled on surface templates.     

Facile route to Zn-based II-VI semiconductor spheres, hollow spheres, and core/shell nanocrystals and their optical properties

A convenient chemical conversion method that allows the direct preparation of nanocrystalline ZnE (E = O, S, Se) semiconductor spheres and hollow spheres as well as their core/shell structures is reported. By using monodisperse ZnO nanospheres as a starting reactant and in situ template, ZnS, ZnSe solid and hollow nanospheres, and ZnO/ZnS and ZnO/ZnSe core/shell nanostructures have been obtained through an ultrasound-assisted solution-phase conversion process. The formation mechanism of these nanocrystals is connected with the sonochemical effect of ultrasound irradiation. The photoluminescence and electrogenerated chemiluminescence properties of the as-prepared nanocrystals were investigated.     

Synthesis of Ag/Polypyrrole Core-Shell Nanospheres by a Seeding Method

Ag/polypyrrole (PPy) core‐shell nanospheres were fabricated through the redox reaction between pyrrole monomer and silver nitrate in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and by using the Ag colloidal nanoparticles acting as the seedings. The prepared nanospheres with a shell thickness of 10–12 nm and a core diameter of 20–40 nm are uniform in size and well dispersed. The morphologies, compositions, and electrochemical activities of Ag/PPy composites were characterized by TEM, XRD, FTIR, TGA and CV. The synthetic route employed here is gentle and can be extended to prepare other conducting polymer/inorganic nanocomposites.     

Synthesis and optical properties of nanorattles and multiple-walled nanoshells/nanotubes made of metal alloys

The galvanic replacement reaction between silver and chloroauric acid has been exploited as a powerful means for preparing metal nanostructures with hollow interiors. Here, the utility of this approach is further extended to produce complex core/shell nanostructures made of metals by combining the replacement reaction with electroless deposition of silver. We have fabricated nanorattles consisting of Au/Ag alloy cores and Au/Ag alloy shells by starting with Au/Ag alloy colloids as the initial template. We have also prepared multiple-walled nanoshells/nanotubes (or nanoscale Matrioshka) with a variety of shapes, compositions, and structures by controlling the morphology of the template and the precursor salt used in each step of the replacement reaction. There are a number of interesting optical features associated with these new core/shell metal nanostructures. For example, nanorattles made of Au/Ag alloys displayed two well-separated extinction peaks, a feature similar to that of gold or silver nanorods. The peak at approximately 510 nm could be attributed to the Au/Ag alloy cores, while the other peak was associated with the Au/Ag alloy shells and could be continuously tuned in the spectral range from red to near-infrared.     

Pt纳米空球壳厚的可控制备及对甲酸的电催化氧化

本文以约120nm的α-Se球为模板,抗坏血酸为还原剂,H2PtCl6为前驱体,通过改变氯铂酸的用量可控合成了不同壳厚的纳米铂空球（Pthollow）及其修饰玻碳（GC）电极（Pthollow／GC）;采用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、高分辨透射电子显微镜（HR-TEM）、能量色散X射线（EDX）谱、X射线衍射（X-ray diffraction,XRD）谱和选区电子衍射（SAED）图等表征其形貌、组成与结构;以甲酸为探针分子,采用循环伏安和计时电流法研究了甲酸在Pthollow／GC电极上的电催化氧化行为．结果表明,所制备的Pthollow分散性好、粒径比较均匀,其多孔球壳是由多维多级的铂原子团簇所构建,呈现多晶铂的结构与性质;当RPt/Se=1．2时,所合成Pthollow。对甲酸的电催化氧化活性最高,且明显优于电沉积铂（Ptnano）修饰GC电极（Ptnano／GC）,为直接甲酸燃料电池（DFAFC）阳极材料的优化制备提供了一定的实验与理论依据,有潜在的应用推广价值．     

Synthesis and antibacterial property of hollow SiO2/Ag nanocomposite spheres

This paper presents a novel and facile method to fabricate hollow silica/sliver (SiO(2)/Ag) nanocomposite spheres. In this approach, the monodisperse hollow SiO(2) colloids bearing quantenary ammonium groups were prepared by dispersion polymerization combined sol-gel process and used as templates. The Ag(+) ions were first adsorbed onto the surfaces of the hollow SiO(2) beads via electrostatic interaction and then in situ reduced by the deprotonated silanol groups of the hollow SiO(2) beads, no extra reducing agents or catalysts were added during the reduction process. TEM, SEM and EDX analyses indicated that Ag nanoparticles were successfully deposited onto the surfaces of hollow SiO(2) beads. Some influencing parameters, such as the amount of quantenary ammonium groups in the inner wall of hollow SiO(2) colloids, Ag(+) ions concentration and reaction temperature, on the deposition of Ag nanoparticles onto SiO(2) colloids were investigated. Preliminary antibacterial tests indicated that these hollow nanocomposite spheres showed excellent antibacterial ability.     

Syringe pump-assisted synthesis of water-soluble cubic structure Ag2Se nanocrystals by a cation-exchange reaction

Water-soluble cubic structure Ag(2)Se (alpha-Ag(2)Se) nanocrystals smaller than 5 nm can be obtained by cation-exchange reaction at room temperature, using water-dispersed ZnSe nanocrystals as precursors, which is achieved by controlling the injection speed of AgNO(3) solutions via a syringe pump in the presence of the stabilizer of trisodium citrate. Meanwhile, the thermal stability of the product Ag(2)Se nanocrystals is studied. The results show that the mean sizes and shapes of the precursor ZnSe and product Ag(2)Se nanocrystals are similar, and Se anion sublattices between them are topotaxial. In addition, no phase transition is observed for the product Ag(2)Se (cubic structure) nanocrystals below 180 degrees C. The present synthetic method based on cation-exchange reactions can also be applied to the syntheses of PbSe and CuSe nanocrystals.     

Synthesis of hollow CaCO3 nanospheres templated by micelles of poly(styrene-b-acrylic acid-b-ethylene glycol) in aqueous solutions

An asymmetric triblock copolymer, poly(styrene-b-acrylic acid-b-ethylene glycol) (PS-b-PAA-b-PEG), was synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer controlled radical polymerization. Micelles of PS-b-PAA-b-PEG with PS core, PAA shell, and PEG corona were then prepared in aqueous solutions, followed by extensive characterization based on dynamic light scattering, zeta-potential, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. The well-characterized micelles were used to fabricate hollow nanospheres of CaCO(3) as a template. It was elucidated from TEM measurements that the hollow nanospheres have a uniform size with cavity diameters of ca. 20 nm. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a high purity and crystallinity of the hollow nanospheres. The hollow CaCO(3) nanospheres thus obtained have been used for the controlled release of an anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen. The significance of this study is that we have overcome a previous difficulty in the synthesis of hollow CaCO(3) nanospheres. After mixing of Ca(2+) and CO(3)(2-) ions, the growth of CaCO(3) is generally quite rapid to induce large crystal, which prevented us from obtaining hollow CaCO(3) nanospheres with controlled structure. However, we could solve this issue by using micelles of PS-b-PAA-b-PEG as a template. The PS core acts as a template that can be removed to form a cavity of hollow CaCO(3) nanospheres, the PAA shell is beneficial for arresting Ca(2+) ions to produce CaCO(3), and the PEG corona stabilizes the CaCO(3)/micelle nanocomposite to prevent secondary aggregate formation.     

Polymerizable Molecular Silsesquioxane Cage Armored Hybrid Microcapsules with In Situ Shell Functionalization

We prepared core–shell polymer–silsesquioxane hybrid microcapsules from cage‐like methacryloxypropyl silsesquioxanes (CMSQs) and styrene (St). The presence of CMSQ can moderately reduce the interfacial tension between St and water and help to emulsify the monomer prior to polymerization. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and TEM analysis demonstrated that uniform core–shell latex particles were achieved. The polymer latex particles were subsequently transformed into well‐defined hollow nanospheres by removing the polystyrene (PS) core with 1:1 ethanol/cyclohexane. High‐resolution TEM and nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis showed that the final nanospheres possessed hollow cavities and had porous shells; the pore size was approximately 2–3 nm. The nanospheres exhibited large surface areas (up to 486 m² g^?1) and preferential adsorption, and they demonstrated the highest reported methylene blue adsorption capacity (95.1 mg g^?1). Moreover, the uniform distribution of the methacryloyl moiety on the hollow nanospheres endowed them with more potential properties. These results could provide a new benchmark for preparing hollow microspheres by a facile one‐step template‐free method for various applications.     

A general method for the rapid synthesis of hollow metallic or bimetallic nanoelectrocatalysts with urchinlike morphology

We have reported a facile and general method for the rapid synthesis of hollow nanostructures with urchinlike morphology. In-situ produced Ag nanoparticles can be used as sacrificial templates to rapidly synthesize diverse hollow urchinlike metallic or bimetallic (such as Au/Pt) nanostructures. It has been found that heating the solution at 100 degrees C during the galvanic replacement is very necessary for obtaining urchinlike nanostructures. Through changing the molar ratios of Ag to Pt, the wall thickness of hollow nanospheres can be easily controlled; through changing the diameter of Ag nanoparticles, the size of cavity of hollow nanospheres can be facilely controlled; through changing the morphologies of Ag nanostructures from nanoparticle to nanowire, hollow Pt nanotubes can be easily designed. This one-pot approach can be extended to synthesize other hollow nanospheres such as Pd, Pd/Pt, Au/Pd, and Au/Pt. The features of this technique are that it is facile, quick, economical, and versatile. Most importantly, the hollow bimetallic nanospheres (Au/Pt and Pd/Pt) obtained here exhibit an area of greater electrochemical activity than other Pt hollow or solid nanospheres. In addition, the approximately 6 nm hollow urchinlike Pt nanospheres can achieve a potential of up to 0.57 V for oxygen reduction, which is about 200 mV more positive than that obtained by using a approximately 6 nm Pt nanoparticle modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode. Rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) voltammetry demonstrates that approximately 6 nm hollow Pt nanospheres can catalyze an almost four-electron reduction of O(2) to H(2)O in air-saturated H(2)SO(4) (0.5 M). Finally, compared to the approximately 6 nm Pt nanoparticle catalyst, the approximately 6 nm hollow urchinlike Pt nanosphere catalyst exhibits a superior electrocatalytic activity toward the methanol oxidation reaction at the same Pt loadings.     

Large scale synthesis of stable tricolor Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se core/multishell nanocrystals via a facile phosphine-free colloidal method

Here we report a new "green" method to synthesize Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se (x = 0-1) and stable red-green-blue tricolor Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se core/shell nanocrystals using only low cost, phosphine-free and environmentally friendly reagents. The first excitonic absorption peak and photoluminescence (PL) position of the Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se nanocrystals (the value of x is in the range 0.005-0.2) can be fixed to any position in the range 456-540 nm. There is no red or blue shift in the entire reaction process. Three similar sizes of alloyed Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se nanocrystals with blue, green, and yellow emissions were successfully selected as cores to synthesize high quality blue, green, and red core/shell nanocrystal emitters. For the synthesis of core/shell nanocrystals with a high quantum yield (QY) and stability, the selection of shell materials has been proven to be very important. Therefore, alternative protocols have been used to optimize thick shell growth. ZnSe/ZnSe(x)S(1-x) and CdS/Zn(1-x)Cd(x)S have been found as an excellent middle multishell to overcoat between the alloyed Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se core and ZnS outshell. The QYs of the as-synthesized core/shell alloyed Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se nanocrystals can reach 40-75%. The Cd content is reduced to less than 0.1% for Zn(1 -x)Cd(x)Se core/shell nanocrystals with emissions in the range 456-540 nm. More than 15 g of high quality Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se core/shell nanocrystals were prepared successfully in a large scale, one-pot reaction. Importantly, the emissions of such thick multishell nanocrystals are not susceptible to ligand loss and stability in various physiological conditions.     

Pt-Se纳米空球修饰玻碳电极上甲酸的电催化氧化

以无定形硒溶胶为模板制备了不同硒覆盖度(θSe)(θSe=0.49,0.39,0.06,0)的Pt-Se和Pt纳米空球(分别记为(Pt-Se)HN和PtHN),发展了利用亚硫酸盐彻底除去核壳纳米粒子上Se的方法.对获得的纳米空球进行了形貌和结构的表征,结果表明所制备的(Pt-Se)HN粒径均匀,分散性好,球壳呈多孔结构.以其作为电催化剂制备了(Pt-Se)HN修饰的玻碳(GC)电极((Pt-Se)HN/GC),利用常规电化学方法比较该电极与PtHN/GC和商用碳载铂(Pt/C)修饰GC(Pt/C/GC)电极对甲酸的催化氧化作用,发现对甲酸氧化的活性顺序为(Pt-Se)HN/GCPtHN/GCPt/C/GC.三种电极催化甲酸氧化的机理有所不同:前者更倾向于通过弱吸附中间体直接氧化成CO2的单途径机理进行,后两者则通过强吸附和弱吸附中间体的双途径机理进行.在一定Se覆盖度条件下,(Pt-Se)HN/GC对甲酸的氧化有助催化作用.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Core‐Shell Selenium/Carbon Colloids and Hollow Carbon Capsules

A novel Se/C nanocomposite with core‐shell structures has been prepared through a facile one‐pot microwave‐induced hydrothermal process. The new material consists of a trigonal‐Se (t‐Se) core and an amorphous‐C (a‐C) shell. The Se/C composite can be converted to hollow carbon capsules by thermal treatment. These products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), energy‐dispersive X‐ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).     

制备核-壳结构聚合物纳米微球和空心球的原位聚合方法的普适性研究

采用原位聚合制备核-壳结构聚合物纳米微球和空心球的新方法, 利用甲基丙烯酸2-羟丙酯(HPMA)和乙酸乙烯酯(VAc)两种单体, 在类似的反应条件下, 成功地制备了以聚(ε-己内酯)(PCL)为核, 分别以交联PHPMA和PVAc为壳的纳米微球; 将微球的核酶解后, 分别得到了对应的交联PMAA空心球和交联PVA空心球. 结果表明, 原位聚合制备核-壳结构聚合物微球的新方法具有一定的普适性, 适用于单体可溶于水而生成的聚合物不溶于水的体系.     

Bovine Serum Albumin Nanospheres Synchronously Encapsulating “Gold Selenium/Gold” Nanoparticles and Photosensitizer for High-Efficiency Cancer Phototherapy

Gold nanostructures have generated significant attention in biomedical areas because of their major role in cancer photothermal therapeutics. In order to conveniently combine gold nanostructures and drugs into one nanocomposite, Au₂Se/Au core–shell nanostructures with strong near-infrared-absorbing properties were synthesized using a simple method and embedded inside bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanospheres by using a spray dryer equipped with an ultrasonic atomizer followed by thermal denaturation. The nanospheres with narrow size distribution mainly ranging from 450 to 600 nm were obtained. The Au₂Se/Au-loaded BSA nanospheres (1 mg) adsorbed at least 0.01 mg of water-insoluble zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) photosensitizer. After irradiation with a 655-nm laser (20 min), the temperature of the Au₂Se/Au-loaded BSA nanospheres [200 μL, 2 mg/mL, BSA/Au₂Se/Au 10:1 (w/w)] increased by over 20 °C from the initial temperature of 24.82?±?0.15 °C, and the release of ZnPc was improved compared with a corresponding sample without irradiation. After being incubated with cancer cells (human esophageal carcinoma Eca-109), the nanospheres exhibited photothermal and photodynamic therapy with a synergistic effect upon laser irradiation. This work provides novel Au₂Se/Au-loaded polymer nanospheres prepared by a high-efficiency strategy for incorporating drugs for improving the efficiency in killing cancer cells.     

Hollow‐Shell‐Structured Nanospheres: A Recoverable Heterogeneous Catalyst for Rhodium‐Catalyzed Tandem Reduction/Lactonization of Ethyl 2‐Acylarylcarboxylates to Chiral Phthalides

Chiral organorhodium‐functionalized hollow‐shell‐structured nanospheres were prepared by immobilization of a chiral N‐sulfonylated diamine‐based organorhodium complex within an ethylene‐bridged organosilicate shell. Structural analysis and characterization reveal its well‐defined single‐site rhodium active center, and transmission electron microscopy images reveal a uniform dispersion of hollow‐shell‐structured nanospheres. As a heterogenous catalyst, it exhibits excellent catalytic activity and enantioselectivity in synthesis of chiral phthalides by a tandem reduction/lactonization of ethyl 2‐acylarylcarboxylates in aqueous medium. The high catalytic performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of the high hydrophobicity and the confined chiral organorhodium catalytic nature. The organorhodium‐functionalized nanospheres could be conveniently recovered and reused at least 10 times without loss of catalytic activity. This feature makes it an attractive catalyst in environmentally friendly organic reactions. The results of this study offer a new approach to immobilize chiral organometal functionalities within the hollow‐shell‐structured nanospheres to prepare materials with high activity in heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis.     

Synthesis of titania embedded silica hollow nanospheres via sonication mediated etching and re-deposition

Titania embedded silica hollow nanospheres were synthesized from sonication-mediated etching and re-deposition of silica/titania core/shell nanospheres. The designed structure of the hollow nanospheres was proved to be a key factor for the charge trapping/detrapping and resulting bistability in non-volatile organic bistable memory devices (OBDs).     

Preparation and Unique Electrical Behaviors of Monodispersed Hybrid Nanorattles of Metal Nanocores with Hairy Electroactive Polymer Shells

A versatile template‐assisted strategy for the preparation of monodispersed rattle‐type hybrid nanospheres, encapsulating a movable Au nanocore in the hollow cavity of a hairy electroactive polymer shell (Au@air@PTEMA‐g‐P3HT hybrid nanorattles; PTEMA: poly(2‐(thiophen‐3‐yl)ethyl methacrylate; P3HT: poly(3‐hexylthiophene), was reported. The Au@silica core‐shell nanoparticles, prepared by the modified Stöber sol–gel process on Au nanoparticle seeds, were used as templates for the synthesis of Au@silica@PTEMA core‐double shell nanospheres. Subsequent oxidative graft polymerization of 3‐hexylthiophene from the exterior surface of the Au@silica@PTEMA core‐double shell nanospheres allowed the tailoring of surface functionality with electroactive P3HT brushes (Au@silica@PTEMA‐g‐P3HT nanospheres). The Au@air@ PTEMA‐g‐P3HT hybrid nanorattles were obtained after etching of the silica interlayer by HF. The as‐prepared nanorattles were dispersed into an electrically insulating polystyrene matrix and for the first time used to fabricate nonvolatile memory devices. As a result, unique electrical behaviors, including insulator behavior, write‐once‐read‐many‐times and rewritable memory effects, and conductor behavior as well, were observed in the Al/Au@air@PTEMA‐g‐P3HT+PS/ITO (ITO: indium‐tin oxide) sandwich thin‐film devices.     

Facile synthesis of PbSe hollow nanostructure assemblies via a solid/liquid-phase chemical route and their electrogenerated chemiluminescence properties

Spherical PbSe hollow nanostructure assemblies (HNSAs) were synthesized by a simple one‐pot solid/liquid‐phase reaction in which solid KPbI₃ ? 2 H₂O and SeO₂ are heated in oleic acid/dodecylamine/1‐octadecene at 250 °C for 30 min. XRD analysis shows that the obtained product is cubic‐phase PbSe and well crystallized. FESEM and TEM images reveal that the obtained spherical PbSe assemblies are made up of small, irregular, and fused hollow nanostructure building blocks. On the basis of temperature‐ and time‐dependent investigations as well as control experiments, molten‐salt corrosion of solid PbSe nanocrystal aggregates formed in situ during the high‐temperature ripening stage is suggested to explain the formation of such novel assemblies. Moreover, when the reaction temperature is further increased to 280 or 320 °C with other conditions unchanged, cubic and orthorhombic mixed‐phase PbSe HNSAs is generated. The obtained PbSe HNSAs exhibit excellent electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) performance. Two strong and stable emission peaks at about ?1.4 and +1.5 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) are observed. In particular, the ECL intensity is influenced by the crystal phase of PbSe.     

Fabrication of Efficient Hydrogenation Nanoreactors by Modifying the Freedom of Ultrasmall Platinum Nanoparticles within Yolk–Shell Nanospheres

The synthesis of silica‐based yolk–shell nanospheres confined with ultrasmall platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) stabilized with poly(amidoamine), in which the interaction strength between Pt NPs and the support could be facilely tuned, is reported. By ingenious utilization of silica cores with different surface wettability (hydrophilic vs. ‐phobic) as the adsorbent, Pt NPs could be confined in different locations of the yolk–shell nanoreactor (core vs. hollow shell), and thus, exhibit different interaction strengths with the nanoreactor (strong vs. weak). It is interesting to find that the adsorbed Pt NPs are released from the core to the hollow interiors of the yolk–shell nanospheres when a superhydrophobic inner core material (SiO₂?Ph) is employed, which results in the preparation of an immobilized catalyst (Pt@SiO₂?Ph); this possesses the weakest interaction strength with the support and shows the highest catalytic activity (88 500 and 7080 h^?1 for the hydrogenation of cyclohexene and nitrobenzene, respectively), due to its unaffected freedom of Pt NPs for retention of the intrinsic properties.