Hybrid hollow particles have received particular research attention because of their unique structural features. Although chemists have investigated different kinds of hybrid hollow particles, the fabrication of hollow quantum-dot-functionalized semiconductors has rarely been reported.

Suli Wu, Dalian University of Technology, China, and colleagues have developed an “ion adsorption-heating” method to synthesize PbS-TiO₂ hollow hybrid structures (pictured). The team used amorphous TiO₂ spheres as a substrate to grow PbS. The TiO₂ spheres are composed of a large number of small amorphous TiO₂ particles, each covered by thioglycolic acid ligands. The crystallization of TiO₂ spheres and the formation of PbS were simultaneously carried out. During the process, owing to the Kirkendall effect of S^2– diffusion and Ostwald ripening effect of the crystallization of TiO₂, a PbS-TiO₂ hollow hybrid structure was obtained.

The hollow PbS-TiO₂ hybrid spheres exhibit high photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of Cr⁶⁺ compounds. The developed route provides a new strategy to fabricate hybrid hollow structures.

• Control synthesis of PbS-TiO₂ hollow hybrid structures through ion adsorption-heating progress and their photocatalytic activity,
  Hongbo Xia, Suli Wu, Shufen Zhang,
  Chem. Asian J. 2017.
  DOI: 10.1002/asia.201701204