title: Precipitation of inorganic salts inside hollow micrometer-sized polyelectrolyte shells.
abstract: Hollow polymer shells formed by layer-by-layer adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes onto micrometer-sized colloidal particles with subsequent decomposition of the colloidal core were employed as a model system for the study of inorganic crystallization reactions in restricted volumes. The size-selective permeability of shells is used for spatially controlling the precipitation of inorganic salts CaCO3 and BaCO3 into the shell interior. Outside the shells the precipitation was suppressed by the polymers, which are unable to penetrate the shell wall. The precipitates were studied by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The fundamental and applied aspects of research on spatially confined synthesis of inorganic particles are under discussion.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Golm/Potsdam, 14476, Germany. gleb@mpikg-golm.mpg.de
authors.forename: Gleb B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Sukhorukov
authors.forename: Andrei S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Susha
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leporatti
authors.forename: Edwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Donath
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.forename: Helmuth
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Möhwald