One-pot synthesis of double-shelled ZnV2O4 hollow nanostructures via a template-free route

Double-shelled ZnV2O4 hollow nanostructures were successfully synthesized through a facile one-pot template-free solvothermal method for the first time. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The characterization results revealed that the structure of the obtained products can be indexed as highly pure face-centered cubic phase of ZnV2O4 and the products consisted of double-shelled hollow nanostructures. A possible inward–outward ripening formation mechanism of the double-shelled ZnV2O4 hollow nanostructures was preliminarily proposed on the basis of the observations of the time-dependent morphology evolutions. This study provides a simple method to prepare double-shelled ZnV2O4 hollow nanostructures in large scale, which broadens their practical applications.

► Double-shelled ZnV2O4 hollow nanostructures were successfully fabricated through a one-pot template-free solvothermal treatment. ► A possible inward-outward ripening formation mechanism is preliminarily proposed on the basis of the observations of time-dependent morphology evolutions. ► To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to fabricate ZnV2O4 hollow structures with double shell.