Facile Synthesis of a Library of Hollow Metallic Particles through the Galvanic Replacement of Liquid Gallium

Abstract

Hollow metallic capsules are of great interest given the large specific surface area and optical, electrical, and catalytic properties. To expand the possibilities of application and research of inorganic nano- and microparticles, new methodologies are being developed for obtaining metallic or multimetallic particles. For the first time, we propose a galvanic replacement reaction (GRR) with liquid gallium hydrocolloid to obtain a library of bi- and trimetallic functional capsules. The properties of the capsules are determined by the synthesis conditions, salt precursor, and stabilizer, providing control over the surface morphology and metal distribution. Furthermore, the resulting metallic capsules were tested for various functional properties, e.g., antimicrobial activity, and tailored for drug delivery systems. A wide variety of functional materials can be generated due to the ability to synthesize multimetallic capsules and incorporating a broad range of dopants.