Complex Core-Shell Architectures through Spatially Organized Nano-Assemblies

Core-shell structures demonstrate superior capability in customizing properties across multiple scales, offering valuable potential in catalysis, medicine, and performance materials. Integrating functional nanoparticles in a spatially controlled manner is particularly appealing for developing sophisticated architectures that support heterogeneous characteristics and tandem reactions. However, creating such complex structures with site-specific features remains challenging due to the dynamic microenvironment during the shell-forming process, which considerably impacts colloidal particle assembly. Here, we describe a method to spatially deploy nanoscale assemblies within microscale structures comprising a dense shell and a liquid core through colloidal surface decoration coupled with emulsion-based synthesis. Exploiting a spectrum of nanoparticles grafted with incrementally varying densities of organic ligands, we reveal that nanofeatures can be selectively sculpted onto the shell exterior, within the shell wall, and on the interior surface. The versatility of this mechanism is validated by systematically arranging nanoparticles with various compositions, shapes, and dimensions. Spatially integrated nanotitania endows the core-shell structures with localized photocatalytic abilities. Additionally, distinctive surface modifications enable the simultaneous yet independent implantation of diverse nanoparticles, yielding intricate architectures with programmable functions. This generalizable approach showcases a synthetic strategy to attain structural complexity and functional sophistication reminiscent of those of biological systems in nature.