The facile synthesis of Cu@SiO2 yolk–shell nanoparticles via a disproportionation reaction of silica-encapsulated Cu2O nanoparticle aggregates

Abstract

Encapsulation of a nanoparticle (NP) followed by tailoring of the core materials is an effective strategy for constructing hollow and yolk–shell NPs. Herein, we report the facile synthesis of Cu@SiO₂ yolk–shell NPs by converting the silica-encapsulated Cu₂O nanoparticle aggregates (NPAs) via a disproportionation reaction. This method is extremely simple and scalable. In addition, all reactions were conducted in air and water solutions that are easily scalable to a mass production scale.