Efficient Recycling of Poly(lactic acid) Nanoparticle Templates for the Synthesis of Hollow Silica Spheres

Herein, we present the first successful silica coating of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles, resulting in fully coated PLA–silica core–shell nanoparticles. Subsequent dissolution treatment efficiently dissolved the PLA core template and exclusively yielded hollow silica spheres with a shell thickness of 16 ± 1 nm. The collected PLA could then be directly recycled from the template removal solution and reused to synthesize PLA nanoparticles for a next batch of hollow silica nanospheres. Such hollow particles are of interest in next-generation insulation materials and as lightweight fillers in polymers for fuel-efficient mobility.