Interfacial engineering of core-shell structured mesoporous architectures from single-micelle building blocks

Core-shell structured mesoporous materials (CSMMs) have aroused enormous research interest due to the combined properties of cores and mesoporous shells that could achieve improved performance in various applications. However, the controllable coating of highly ordered mesoporous shells on functional cores is still challengeable owing to the difficulties to modulate the co-assembly process, especially for non-siliceous components such as polymers, carbon, metal oxides and so on. In this article, we concentrate on the most recent achievements on the interfacial engineering of CSMMs from single micelle building blocks, which is different from the conventional surfactant-templated strategy driven by the co-assembly mechanism. The main focus has been put on the principles and mechanisms underlying for the accurate control of mesoporous shells with different components, pore sizes, pore shapes, and functionalities. Then, several representative applications of CSMMs including catalysis, adsorption, energy storage, and biomedicines are discussed with respect to their properties. At last, the challenges and prospects for the next-generation development of CSMMs from the perspective of synthetic protocols and applications are highlighted.