Nanoreactors: Mechanistic Insight into the Yolk@Shell Transformation of MnO@Silica Nanospheres Incorporating Ni²⁺ Ions toward a Colloidal Hollow Nanoreactor (Small 16/2015)

A solid-state approach for functionalizing the interior cavity of a hollow particle is devised by I. S. Lee and co-workers. On page 1930, they exploit the mechanistic insight into the yolk@shell transformation of MnO@SiO2 nanospheres incorporating Ni2+ ions, which results in the transformation into a yolk@shell structure with a Ni nanocrystal inside the hollow silicate nanoshell. The solid-state synthesized powder of the yolk@shell is also employed for the fabrication of a colloidal nanoreactor that can selectively catalyze the reduction of nitroarene compounds and recycle it via the magnetic recovery process.