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A new method for creating hollow nanoparticles using molten metals was devised by chemists from the University of ITMO (St. Petersburg). Log nanocapsules are widely used for a variety of purposes, from targeted drug delivery to the introduction of catalysis in petrochemicals.
Conventional production methods use precious metals such as platinum, silver or gold both complex and expensive. The scientists at ITMO University have been successful in making metal nanocapsules from gallium and its alloy with indium, making the process much simpler and cheaper. A steady drop of metal, heated up to 30 degrees Celsius is subjected to ultrasound to produce micro- and nanodroplets; these are then under the influence of galvanic reaction, resulting in hollow metal grains.
“We can make monometallic grains just as well as bi- or even trimetallic ones,” notes Aleksandra Falchevskaya, lead author of the study and a Master student at ITMO University’s ChemBio Group. “We can use additional materials to control the properties of the particles, such as making them less smooth, equipping them with small pieces that increase the total space, making them more or less polar, or change the thickness of their walls. It’s a flexible approach. It allows a researcher to create a capsule of a specific shape and size, tailored to the needs of whatever test they are designing. ”
Another advantage of molten metals is that they are relatively inactive. Thus, similar methods could be performed with more than 20 other metals having a higher reduction potential than gallium and indium in the electrochemical activity sequence.
Aleksandra S. Falchevskaya, Artur Y. Prilepskii, Sofia A. Tsvetikova, Elena I. Koshel, and Vladimir V. Vinogradov. Facile Synthesis of a Library of Hollow Metal Band by Galvanic Resonance of Gallium Liquid. Materials Chemistry, 2021 / 10.1021 / acs.chemmater.0c03969
More information www.en.itmo.ru