Glass-NiP-CoFeP triplex-shell particles with hollow cores and tunable magnetic properties

Low density (0.55-0.92g/mL, depending on the shell thickness and composition) glass-metal-metal triplex-shell hollow particles (TSHP) were prepared by a three-step route. First, micrometer-sized silicate glass particles with hollow cores, uniform shells, and high sphericity were prepared through spray drying and subsequent melting. NiP shell was uniformly assembled to the previously obtained glass hollow particles by silver seed induced chemical reduction of Ni(2+) by sodium hypophosphite, and glass-NiP double-shell hollow particles (DSHP) with compact and uniform shells were formed. The as-formed NiP particles further acted as the seeds for the directed formation and assembly of the CoFeP shell on the NiP shell to form the final glass-NiP-CoFeP triplex-shell hollow particles (TSHP). The influences of the component of the reaction system on the composition, structure, and magnetic properties of the hollow particles were studied. The multishell hollow particles thus obtained may have some promising applications in the fields of low-density magnetic materials, conduction, microwave absorbers, catalysis, etc. This work provides an additional strategy to fabricate multishell structured hollow particles with tailored shell composition and magnetic properties, which can be extended to the controlled preparation of multishell composite particles with the shells consisting of metal, oxides, or other compounds.