Research Progress of Hollow Structural Materials Prepared via Templating Method

Hollow structural materials with low density and high surface area which can encapsulate small molecules, are widely used in environmental protection, drug delivery system, electronic and other fields. Because templating method is simple, and owns high repeat rate, good prediction and many other advantages, it is particularly interesting and frequently used to fabricate hollow structural materials with homogeneous, dense layers. Templating methods can be divided broadly into two classes according to the properties of templates used in synthesis, which can be called traditional templating methods and self-templating methods, respectively. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the preparation of hollow structural materials via templating methods was provided. The progress of two traditional templating methods: hard templates and soft templates were firstly summarized. The research and development of hollow structural materials prepared via four self-templating methods: Ostwald ripening, Kirkendall effect, galvanic replacement and chemical etching were mainly reviewed and commented in the later. At last, perspective on the future research and development of hollow structural materials prepared by templating methods were also discussed.