Recent Patents in Hollow Micro/Nanostructures

Hollow micro/nanostructures (HM/NS) have attracted increasing attention due to the unique properties and potential applications in chemistry, biotechnology, and materials science. Within these applications, control of HM/NS dimension and shape lends increasing functionality and selectivity. In this paper, zero-dimensional (0D), one-dimensional (1D) and three-dimensional (3D) organized architectures of inorganic, polymer, and inorganic polymer composite HM/NS are presented, with a particular focus on solution-based syntheses. General strategies for synthetic HM/NS are discussed including commonly used template method and template-free method, such as through the Kirkendall effect, Ostwald ripening process, oriented assembly, and sonochemical method. Herein, we mainly discussed some recent patents for template-assisted fabrication of hollow HM/NS. In addition, the applications of HM/NS are introduced.