Nanoengineering Liquid Metal Core-Shell Nanostructures

Nanoengineering the composition and morphology of functional nanoparticles endows them to perform multiple tasks and functions. An intriguing strategy for creating multifunctional nanomaterials involves the construction of core-shell nanostructures, which have enabled promising applications in biomedicine, energy, sensing, and catalysis. Here, a straightforward nanoengineering approach is presented utilizing liquid metal nanoparticles and galvanic replacement to create diverse core-shell nanostructures. Controlled nanostructures including liquid metal core-gold nanoparticle shell (LM@Au), gold nanoparticle core-gallium oxide shell (Au@Ga oxide), and hollow Ga oxide nanoparticles are successfully fabricated. Remarkably, these investigations reveal that LM@Au exhibits exceptional photothermal performance, achieving an impressive conversion efficiency of 65.9%, which is five times that of gold nanoparticles. By leveraging the high photothermal conversion efficiency and excellent biocompatibility of LM@Au, its promising application in hyperthermia cancer therapy is demonstrated. This simple yet powerful nanoengineering strategy opens new avenues for the controlled synthesis of complex core-shell nanostructures, advancing various fields beyond biomedicine. A powerful nanoengineering strategy is developed utilizing liquid metal and galvanic replacement to enable the delicate manipulation of tailored liquid metal core-shell nanostructures, facilitating the on-demand production of innovative nanostructures. The superior stability and photothermal conversion efficiency of LM@Au core-shell nanostructures are harnessed exhibiting promise in photothermal cancer therapy.image