Hollow silica nanospheres: In situ, semi-in situ, and two-step synthesis

Sophisticated functional nanostructures could be building blocks for potential future applications. We have prepared hollow silica nanospheres from luminescent semiconductor/silica core/shell nanoparticles. Different synthesis strategies enable various applications of these particles, whereas the progression of the reaction can be monitored by the luminescence (and vanishing of luminescence) of the functional nanoparticles. Furthermore, we succeeded in preparing extremely small and monodisperse hollow nanoparticles.