Synthesis and Catalytic Application of Hollow Silica Nanospheres

In the past decade, hollow silica nanospheres have attracted more and more attention for their potential catalytic applications. Benefitting from the advantages of low density, large void space and large specific surface area, HSNs demonstrate promising application prospects in various fields, such as adsorption and storage, and catalysis when catalytically active species are incorporated in the core and/or shell. In this review, we overview the recent progress in the synthesis and catalytic applications of the HSNs. First, the design, synthesis, and functionalization of HSNs are discussed. Four main synthetic routes, soft-templating, elective etching route, self-templating route and hard-templating route, are described in detail. Then, the catalytic applications of HSNs are also summarized, in terms of the unique features of the combined large void space in the core and the mesoporous network in the shell. Finally, an outlook of their prospects and challenges is presented.