title: Silica hollow spheres with nano-macroholes like diatomaceous earth.
abstract: Artificial synthesis of hollow cell walls of diatoms is an ultimate target of nanomaterial science. The addition of some water-soluble polymers such as sodium polymethacrylate to a solution of water/oil/water emulsion system, which is an essential step of the simple synthetic procedure of silica hollow spheres (microcapsules), led to the formation of silica hollow spheres with nano-macroholes (>100 nm) in their shell walls, the morphologies of which are analogous to those of diatom earth.
authors.affiliation: Kansai Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-8-31 Midorigaoka, Ikeda, Osaka 563-8577, Japan. m-fujiwara@aist.go.jp
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Kumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shiokawa
authors.forename: Ikuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sakakura
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakahara