How "Hollow" Are Hollow Nanoparticles?

Diamond anvil cell (DAC), synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques are used to probe the composition inside hollow gamma-Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs). SAXS experiments on 5.2, 13.3, and 13.8 nm hollow-shell gamma-Fe3O4 NPs, and 6 nm core/14.8 nm hollow-shell Au/Fe3O4 NPs, reveal the significantly high (higher than solvent) electron density of the void inside the hollow shell. In high-pressure DAC experiments using Ne as pressure-transmitting medium, formation of nanocrystalline Ne inside hollow NPs is not detected by XRD, indicating that the oxide shell is impenetrable. Also, FTIR analysis on solutions of hollow-shell gamma-Fe3O4 NPs fragmented upon refluxing shows no evidence of organic molecules from the void inside, excluding the possibility that organic molecules get through the iron oxide shell during synthesis. High-pressure DAC experiments on Au/Fe3O4 core/hollow-shell NPs show good transmittance of the external pressure to the gold core, indicating the presence of the pressure-transmitting medium in the gap between the core and the hollow shell. Overall, our data reveal the presence of most likely small fragments of iron and/or iron oxide in the void of the hollow NPs. The iron oxide shell seems to be non-porous and impenetrable by gases and liquids.