Synthesis and characterization of Ag nanoshells by a facile sacrificial template route through in situ replacement reaction

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ic060539j

A facile in situ replacement reaction route was successfully introduced for synthesizing Ag nanoshells with outer diameters of 40-50 nm and inner diameters of 20-30 nm using Co nanoparticles as sacrificial templates. The products were characterized by XRD, TEM, SAED, and UV-vis absorption spectra. The formation mechanism was also discussed. The reaction driving force comes from the large reduction potential gap between the Ag⁺/Ag and Co²⁺/Co redox couples, which results in the consumption of Co cores and the formation of a hollow cavity of Ag nanoshells. The UV-vis spectrum of this nanostructure exhibits a distinct difference from that of solid nanoparticles, which makes it a good candidate for application in photothermal materials.