Recent progress in hollow silica: Template synthesis, morphologies and applications

•We provided general principles and research progress of template synthesis.•Spherical and non-spherical hollow silica structures were introduced.•The performance of hollow silica in diverse applications were discussed.

Hollow silica is a special type of novel inorganic material with one or more cavities inside. In addition to the excellent properties as with its solid counterparts, hollow silica exhibits unique characteristics, such as low density, high specific surface and good adsorption performance. Researchers have developed many routes to prepare mono-dispersed hollow silica with regular morphology. However, most studies focused on hollow silica spheres, ignoring the structural superiority of other hollow structures. Template synthesis is highly prominent due to its flexibility and versatility. What's more, it is suitable for the preparation of hollow silica with various morphologies. In this article, the research progress of template synthesis was firstly provided. Then different morphologies of hollow silica were introduced, including hollow spheres, hollow tubes, hollow cubes, etc. To better demonstrate the advantages and potential value of hollow silica materials, their performance in diverse applications were discussed. Finally, some perspectives on the future research and development of hollow silica were put forward.

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