An electroless-plating-like solution approach for the preparation of PS@TiO₂@Ag core-shell spheres

PS@TiO₂@Ag spheres with triple-level core-shell nanostructures were prepared via a versatile coating procedure based on an electroless-plating-like solution deposition (EPLSD) method. A peroxo-titanium-complex (PTC) aqueous solution was used as the precursor to react with an aniline monomer in the EPLSD preparation. Aniline plays an important role in the TiO₂ layer anchoring process through the swollen effects of the PS cores. As extended, peroxo-metal-complex (PMC) with the d⁰ configuration can be introduced onto PS spheres to form varieties of PS@metal oxide core-shell structures by this method under mild conditions. Ag layers were then modified onto the PS@TiO₂ spheres via the photocatalytic method. By the extraction of the PS cores, hollow TiO₂ and TiO₂@Ag spheres could be obtained. The photochemical degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV light irradiation was performed on the composite nanostructures.