Spotlights on Recent JACS Publications

摘要

Hollow nanoparticles are appealing to chemists because they can potentially be used for nanomedicine delivery, in nanoreactors, and as contrast agents in molecular imaging. These hollow structures are generally made from solid nanoparticles, which are then chemically emptied out using a variety of techniques. However, the ability to go from hollow to solid and back again is unusual, and has potential applications in performance-switchable, environment-responsive systems. Now In Su Lee and co-workers have created manganese oxide nanoparticles that can flip between solid and hollow cores when the surrounding gas is changed from oxidizing to reducing (DOI: 10.1021/ja309142j). The solid structures are made up of MnO nanocrystals inside silica nanospheres, and become hollow when the MnO diffuses out into the silicate shell, which is more thermodynamically stable.