Examples of hollow nanoparticles produced by corrosion processes. |
The
Catalan Institute of Nanotechnology scientists have developed a novel
method based on the traditional corrosion techniques for the production
of highly intricate hollow nanoparticles or cage-like nanostructures,
which can be used for industrial processing and medical applications.
The
application on nanostructures of old processes and procedures used in
the production of bulk materials, only now in a more sophisticated
manner, is becoming a widespread theme in nanotechnology research.
The
researchers’ novel technique is the refined and advanced form of
conventional corrosion processes such as the de-alloying, etching,
pitting, galvanic, and the Kirkendall effect. They demonstrated that the
refined method is more powerful at the nanoscale thanks to the large
surface area of nanoparticles when compared to that of the bulk
materials.
According
to the research, it is feasible to closely manipulate the diffusion and
reaction processes at room temperature by performing simple
modifications in the chemical environment in order to obtain high
stability and yields in structure and form. Hence, these processes are
suitable for commercial applications, as they can be easily scalable to
the industrial level.
The
method, say the researchers, can produce a broad array of
nanostructures such as noble metal fullerenes, nanoframes, multichamber
nanotubes, porous nanotubes, double-walled, multichamber or mutiwalled
boxes, trimetallic double-walled open boxes with pores, bimetallic
double-walled open boxes with pores, open boxes, and much more. Besides
their complex shapes, these nanostructures could open doors for new
possibilities in remediation of impurities, catalysis, drug delivery, and
even a nanorobot’s structural components.
