Shaping Nanoparticles for Interface Catalysis: Concave Hollow Spheres via Deflation-Inflation Asymmetric Growth.

ABSTRACT: Hollow spheres are charming objects in nature. In this work, an unexpected deflation-inflation asymmetric growth (DIAG) strategy is reported, generating hollow nanoparticles with tailored concave geometry for interface catalysis. Starting from aminophenol-formaldehyde (APF) nanospheres where the interior crosslinking degree is low, fully deflated nanobowls are obtained after etching by acetone. Due to APF etching and repolymerization reactions occuring asymmetrically within a single particle, an autonomous inflation process is observed similar to a deflated basketball that inflates back to a "normal" ball, which is rare at the nanoscale. A nucleophilic addition reaction between acetone and APF is elucidated to explain the chemistry origin of the DIAG process. Interestingly, the deflated AP

SUBMITTER: Yu R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7341089 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature