Synthesis of Zinc Borate Hollow Nanospheres Using Polymeric Micelles with Core–Corona Architecture as a Template

Zinc borate hollow nanospheres with diameter of 30 +/- 2 nm have been fabricated by using polymeric micelles of poly(styrene-block-acrylic acid) (PS-b-PAA) as a template. The polymer forms spherical micelles with PS-core and PAA-corona in aqueous solutions, which shows pH-dependent behavior. Zinc borate hollow nanospheres shrink during calcination. FTIR measurements confirm that the template polymer was completely removed during calcination.